The OKC Thunder swarmed the Denver Nuggets defensively, helping to a 102-87 victory to start the season. The Thunder made the most of their star players on both sides of the ball and seemingly controlled the tempo of the match for the entire 48 minutes.

A slow start in the first quarter quickly spoiled the Thunder, falling behind 18-10 with six minutes left in the opening portion of the game. A pair of wild sequences soon after catapulted the Thunder in front and led 31-24 when the clock hit zero.

OKC’s defensive prowess as a unit was on full display in the first quarter and only got better as the game progressed. They did allow 24 points to start, but the amount of deflections and ability to knock down shots at the rim helped the Thunder take the lead.

The Nuggets were also no slouch defensively. Similarly, they did an excellent job of disrupting shots at the rim and causing multiple deflections. Every bucket from every team was hard-earned.

The biggest catalyst to start the second quarter in keeping the Thunder’s lead was swing guard Aaron Wiggins. He got off to a good start, with nine points on 4-for-4 shooting. One of those looks was a wide open three-point shot with the others inside the perimeter line.

OKC continued its defensive pressure, forcing ten turnovers by the end of the first half. Thunder center Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Lu Dort all wreaked havoc defending their respective matchups. Although they only led 58-51 at halftime, there weren’t many comfortable shot attempts from the Nuggets.

Denver also shot just 3-for-17 from the perimeter, a big reason for the first-half deficit. Holmgren and star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder in scoring at the half, both with 11 points on about 50% shooting.

The Nuggets came out of the second half looking to cut the lead quickly, with a quick triple from forward Michael Porter Jr. and a fast break dunk by Christian Braun. The score soon became separated by just six points, but Holmgren quickly responded with a pick-and-roll dunk and transition triple.

Braun and Porter led a big run and made the Thunder sweat a bit. A response was needed and that’s exactly what happened, with Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander helping with another momentum swing.

Holmgren’s dominance on both ends of the floor increased as the clock wound down, with a crowd-defying block on Nikola Jokic and a fast-break posterizing dunk giving the Thunder an 81-66 lead. In the final period there was a separation with an 85-68 lead.

OKC did exactly what it needed to do to maintain its lead in the fourth quarter: play solid defense and remain efficient offensively. Gilgeous-Alexander imposed his will offensively at all three levels, especially while attacking the basket.

Porter Jr. had a chance to reduce the deficit to 10 points with a transition triple, but it didn’t fall and Holmgren provided an important defensive rebound. That was Denver’s chance to make the final two minutes interesting and OKC closed out the game afterward.

Regardless of whether the Thunder walked away with a win over Denver, the minutes it received from Aaron Wiggins were detrimental to the team’s victory. Wiggins finished with 15 points and six rebounds on 7-for-9 shooting.

The top scorer for OKC in the win was Gilgeous-Alexander, who recorded 28 points on 11-for-24 shooting. He remained consistent and efficient for OKC throughout the game.

Holmgren did almost everything for the Thunder in game one, blocking four shots and securing 14 rebounds, while also finishing with 25 points on efficient 11-18 shooting. Outside of his 0-for-5 perimeter shooting performance, there were minimal deficiencies to note from his first game of the season.

In a well-rounded scoring performance for the Nuggets, it was Jokic and Braun leading the way. Jokic finished with 16 on 6-for-13 shooting, along with 13 assists and 12 rebounds for a customary triple-double performance. Braun walked away with 16 points and 7 rebounds while showing off his strong defense throughout the game.

OKC makes the trip to Chicago to take on the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, October 26 at 7:00 PM CT for the second game of the new NBA season.

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