OKC Thunder: Player grades in late-game collapse versus Nuggets

Best OKC Thunder reserve performance:

There was no better player on the court for the OKC Thunder than Jackson.

Jackson came off the bench to put up a season-high 20 points on 63.6 percent shooting in approximately 28 minutes. He hit three of the five 3-point shots he put up and was a nightmare for the Nuggets for most of the night.

He had everything going for him in the game, giving the Thunder yet another potential star in the making. Jackson certainly made the most of the minutes he was given. He has earned a more significant role on this team.

Best opponent performance:

As has been the case every other time the Thunder have played the Nuggets, Jokic made all the difference.

Although the Thunder clamped down on Jokic in the second half holding him to 2-of-6 shooting to cut off one of the Nuggets’ scoring threats, it was huge for the Thunder as they have had almost no answer for Jokic each time they’ve played the Nuggets this season.

All total, Jokic scored 22 points in the game on 56.3 percent shooting. He also pulled down 13 rebounds and fell just one assist shy of a triple-double.

In closing:

The OKC Thunder continue to grow with each passing game. Although wins are nice, the adversity the team has faced through games this season will do more for their performances in clutch-time situations than uncontested wins.

The fact that the OKC Thunder continues to play teams as close as they have, even taking the defending champions to overtime in two consecutive games, shows that they have plenty of fight in them. They refuse to accept defeat even when it seems inevitable, and they always give far more effort than is expected of them, especially this season.

The Thunder return home to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday at 7 p.m. CT.