2 Studs, 2 duds from down to the wire Thunder loss to Nuggets

The OKC Thunder sustained their first loss of the 2024-25 NBA season on Wednesday night, as they were downed by the Denver Nuggets out in the Mile High City during what ended up becoming a truly exhilarating affair.

Proving to be a true back-and-forth affair, as there were nine lead changes throughout, during their 48 minutes played both ball clubs showcased their two-way skills and elite firepower that have them unanimously pegged as legitimate title favorites this year.

Unfortunately, though the Thunder may have the upper hand in the Western Conference standings, they didn't have it Wednesday, as they fell by a final score of 124-122 after a last-second block by Peyton Watson on the potential game-tying lay-in attempt by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 28 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.

From standout showings by role players to lackluster production from foundational pieces, this game saw a wide range of individual performances by the Thunder that need to be addressed.

Studs and duds from Thunder loss to Nuggets

Stud: Jalen Williams

Though Jalen Williams has already found himself getting off to yet another impressive season during these early stages of 2024-25, his performance against Denver may have proven to be his best from an all-around standpoint thus far.

From his scoring game to his distribution skills, J-Dub made an impact in virtually every which way on Wednesday night, registering a near triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals while shooting a highly efficient 55.0 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from deep.

Perhaps the most notable thing about his game on the night was his willingness to create for himself on offense, especially late in the crucial fourth quarter when others couldn't seem to get into any sort of rhythm.

As fans likely know, this was an area of Williams' game that was sorely lacking last season, so seeing these strides made during crunch time, even despite the outcome of the night, was inspiring to see.

Dud: Chet Holmgren

While Chet Holmgren may have managed to mask his innate disadvantages in the strength and weight department when going up against opposing bigs during the first seven games of the year, the eighth go-around for the Thunder put these faults on full display.

All night, it was evident that Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic was simply too much to handle for the 207-pound center, as he backed down and bullied him throughout his 35 minutes of action en route to a monstrous triple-double stat-line of 23 points, 20 rebounds (7 offensive), and 16 assists.

Unfortunately, Holmgren's efforts on offense didn't make up for these lapses on the less glamorous side of the ball, as he was held to 15 points and 10 rebounds on a mere 35.7 percent shooting, and didn't make his first shot until the 5:32 mark of the second quarter (went 0-for-5 up until that point).

What's more agonizing is that the sophomore registered just 3 points during the final period and seemed to have been completely taken out of the game offensively at that point, shooting just once in his final eight minutes and change on the night.

With a Thunder game-low -11 plus-minus rating, it appears the box score and eye test both agree that Chet put up a dud of a performance Wednesday evening.

Stud: Alex Caruso

Sometimes, the box score doesn't tell the entire story of how a player performed on the night. While Alex Caruso may have only scored 2 points, missed all but one of his nine attempts, and registered the second-worst plus-minus on his team at -8, he still played almost exactly how the Thunder should expect him to play on a nightly basis -- with grit, energy, and high-end intensity.

The veteran should by no means be someone Oklahoma City should depend on to pick up the slack offensively -- they have Shai Gilgeous-Alecander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams to focus on that.

Instead, Caruso is the brand of player who does the dirty work on the hardwood and plays hard-nosed defense to help impact winning. During his 21 minutes of play, he provided exactly that, finishing with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.

Would it have been nice if he had hit a few more shots, or at least made one of his three long-range attempts on the night? Absolutely, as it likely would have led the Thunder to their eighth-straight win.

That said, the failures of other players in the scoring department like Isaiah Joe and Holmgren should easily outweigh those of Caruso.

Dud: Cason Wallace

Cason Wallace may be a core member of this Thunder rotation, as well as a beloved talent by coach Mark Daigneault, but this start to his sophomore season has been rather underwhelming from an efficiency standpoint, and his showing against Denver was a primary example of this.

After splashing home on 49.1 percent of his attempts from the field and 41.9 percent from distance during his rookie run, the Kentucky product has seen his averages plummet by significant margins in 2024-25, as he was shooting 44.0 and 30.0 percent, respectively.

Wednesday night definitely didn't help boost these numbers for him, as he converted on two of his eight attempts from the field (25.0 percent) and missed all three of his shots from distance to finish off with just 4 points.

Though he did also register 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, one could make a strong case that these positives were completely overshadowed by the harsh negatives of both his continued shooting woes and his four personal fouls committed in 20 minutes of play.

Hopefully, he can find his groove at some point in the near future, otherwise, we may start to hear even more chatter about a potential backcourt consolidation deal on the horizon involving their recent lottery pick.