The Denver Nuggets had all summer to reflect on the pain of losing game seven on their home court. Tonight they finally had the chance to put that game behind them. Unfortunately, their opponent was the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are arguably the best team in the Western Conference. They certainly looked good, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren looking like true superstars. The Nuggets, meanwhile, shot terribly from three and outside of Nikola Jokic (who recorded his first triple double of the season) struggled to find consistency. That ultimately spelled disaster for the home team and the Thunder easily won 102-87.

The game started on a positive note for Denver, with Jokic knocking down his first three-point attempt of the season. Neither team had much shooting success early and it remained close, with Denver building a slim lead. Jamal Murray knocked down a pair of shots while Jokic nearly assisted or scored on every bucket and they pushed the Nuggets’ lead to eight, forcing an OKC timeout. Russell Westbrook and Julian Strawther came in, but it was the Thunder who started knocking down all the shots. They went on a 10-1 run, capped by a Holmgren and-1. The Nuggets offense was clumsy, even with Jokic still on the floor, and they allowed OKC to take the lead. Denver scored just three points in the final six minutes of the quarter and the Thunder led 31-24 after one.

The 3x MVP does it all in the first quarter 🃏

Thunder Nuggets NOW on TNT pic.twitter.com/zFGBVL8KLw

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2024

The Nuggets continued to struggle with outside shooting to open the second quarter, but they found a foul at the rim that kept them in the game. However, the Thunder made shots consistently, and when the lead was back to eight with just over eight minutes to go, Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. checked. and Aaron Gordon back in the game. Every offensive possession still seemed like a chore for Denver despite the starters being back on the floor. Halfway through the second they were still trailing by eight. The Thunder cooled off a bit on offense and the Nuggets had their chances, but they continually shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Holmgren got a few baskets and SGA showed its command in the midrange, keeping Denver from closing the gap. At halftime it was still a seven-point lead, 58-51.

RUSS FLEW IN FOR THE REJECTION AT SGA ❌ pic.twitter.com/HztuDCeebW

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2024

Shai opened the second half with a three, but the Nuggets responded and got a quick timeout from Mark Daigneault. Denver’s frontcourt did most of the damage, with Jokic setting up Porter and Gordon to take away the lead. However, they simply couldn’t buy a three-pointer. OKC went within a point led by Holmgren and SGA, pushing their lead back to nine. Denver’s offense was ice-cold, but the Thunder failed to capitalize on the opportunity for several minutes. It continued to be painful to watch down the stretch of the third as Holmgren and SGA wreaked havoc on the Nuggets. After a huge dunk by Chet, Malone called a timeout and was called for a technical foul with the Nuggets trailing by fourteen. OKC went on a 12-0 run and pushed it all the way to a nineteen-point lead by the end of the quarter. At the end of the third the score was 85-68.

Chet goes up on both sides 🫣@OGandE Power play of the game pic.twitter.com/qWlze0Xhdx

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 25, 2024

The bench unit tightened up on defense and got a pair of baskets early in the fourth, but the inability to shoot outside remained an issue. Jalen Williams stepped up and Denver started to look like they were giving up. Westbrook ended up hitting a three, but it made little difference. OKC continued to pick up points through Shai and Holmgren and the lead remained just under twenty as the quarter ended. With about three minutes left in the game, Malone brought the reserves off the bench, but then changed his mind about coming on for the Nuggets on a minus run. It didn’t take long and with about a minute and a half to go he got the bench and trash time was officially here. The Nuggets lose their opener in disheartening fashion, 102-87.

Another block ➡️ Another dunk 🔨 pic.twitter.com/FEGVeaPIjv

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 25, 2024

Best matchup: MVP candidate vs. MVP candidate

There wasn’t much to like about the Nuggets performance tonight, but Jokic was his usual brilliant self. He started the season with a triple double, throwing highlight pass after highlight pass. The Nuggets needed him to score more, but with no one hitting outside shots, the Thunder simply doubled down as soon as Joker got the ball. Meanwhile, SGA was unstoppable. He’s just so smooth that he scores effortlessly. No matter who Denver tried to defend him with, he got to his spots, knocked down his shots and put together an excellent first chapter in his MVP campaign.

There is nothing to do but shoot

If you’re concerned about Denver’s three-point shooting this season, now is probably a good time to get your blood pressure checked. That was a terrible performance from the outside. The Nuggets ended up shooting 17.9% from three and far too many of their misses were wide-open looks from guys they depended on as outside threats like Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson. It’s only one game, but I can’t imagine a worse start for the Nuggets offensively.

Chet was dominant, Russ was a rollercoaster

There was an interesting division between the guys who brought the energy for their respective teams tonight. On the Thunder, it was Holmgren erasing shots and throwing down big dunks while still in control. This was less the case with Westbrook, the Nuggets spark plug. He certainly had some moments and some nice blocks himself, but there were also stupid turnovers and questionable shot selection. That’s just the ride you get with Russ, I guess. Meanwhile, Holmgren looks set to pick up where he left off after a stellar rookie campaign.