The OKC Thunder welcomed the Denver Nuggets to downtown Oklahoma City on Sunday night for a clash at the Paycom Center. The Thunder have hit a rough patch of late, even seeing their star player hit a cold stretch that matches the January winds in Oklahoma. Sunday, was no different. The Oklahoma City Thunder lost their fourth straight game, they are 3-7 in their last ten games, and are still just two games back of the Spurs for the 10th seed in the NBA.
The Thunder saw the Nuggets raced out to an 18 point lead, before eventually crawling back in this game. This contest saw four lead changes, five ties, and a five-point Thunder lead during this comeback. Ultimately, the lackluster start was too much to overcome for the Bricktown Boys. While the Mark Daigneault-led team deserves credit for making in-game adjustments and bouncing back, this is another game that is in the loss column due to their lack of energy to start a game.
OKC Thunder comeback falls short against Denver Nuggets
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the turnover battle, but were dominated on the glass 62-46, while winning the points in the battle column, second-chance points category, and having six more fastbreak points than Denver. The difference once again came from beyond the arc, the only area the Thunder shot worse from than their counterpart. The Nuggets nailed 36-percent of their three-point shots, while the Thunder turned in a lowly 23-percent from distance.
The OKC Thunder deserves credit for hanging in this game with a playoff team while their top player posts eight points, only making two shots from the floor. It was as if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not even active contributing eight points, four assists, five rebounds, a steal, and two blocks in this game. While he played 31 minutes, he did leave the game briefly due to a leg injury, for a player that has dealt with ankle injuries this season, maybe some time off would do the max contract point guard some good. This game should not be cause for concern, everyone understands what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is capable of, but it is a contest that the team will look back on as the one that got away. If SGA even plays remotely to the level he is capable of that makes up the difference in a 99-95 loss.
Lu Dort continues to struggle from distance going 1-for-9, Aaron Wiggins snapped his starting streak and double-digit point streak (scoring eight points tonight on 50-percent from the floor), Darius Bazley was ultra-aggressive posting 10-points, Josh Giddey was able to get 11 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists, and the Thunder fell in a tough one.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be back in action on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards. That game starts a two-game road swing playing the Wizards and Nets before returning home Saturday to take on the Cavs.