Game ID: 22300435
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets
Friday, December 29, 2023 at 9:00 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DEN 27 21 20 25 93OKC 33 21 34 31 119
DEN vs OKC ScoutingDEN vs OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
DEN availability going into 12/22 · 1 day's restOUT Jordan missed 2 since 12/18, returns tonight: 6 min (56% of 11)
BACK Caldwell-Pope back 12/18 after 2, 29 min since (91% of 32)
NEW Holiday 15 to 20 min over the last 4
NEW Strawther 11 to 18 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Holiday missed 2 since 12/20, out tonight
BACK Caldwell-Pope back 12/18 after 2, 29 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Jordan back 12/22 after 2, 6 min since (56% of 11)
NEW Strawther 11 to 16 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 3 since 12/20, out tonight
BACK Caldwell-Pope back 12/18 after 2, 30 min since (94% of 32)
BACK Jordan back 12/22 after 2, 6 min since (56% of 11)
DEN availability going into 12/28 · 2 days' restOUT Holiday missed 4 since 12/20, returns tonight: 18 min (122% of 15)
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 12/23, returns tonight: 12 min (116% of 11)
BACK Caldwell-Pope back 12/18 after 2, 31 min since (98% of 32)
DEN availability going into 12/29 · back-to-backBACK Holiday back 12/28 after 4, 18 min since (122% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 12/22 after 2, 9 min since (86% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/01 · 2 days' restOUT Gordon missed 2 since 12/28, returns tonight: 25 min (76% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 12/28 after 4, 17 min since (115% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 12/22 after 2, 11 min since (98% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/04 · 2 days' restBACK Gordon back 1/01 after 2, 25 min since (76% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 12/28 after 4, 17 min since (115% of 15)
BACK Jordan back 12/28 after 2, 13 min since (119% of 11)
DEN availability going into 1/05 · back-to-backOUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/01, returns tonight: 10 min (69% of 15)
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 1/01, out tonight
BACK Gordon back 1/01 after 2, 30 min since (93% of 32)
NEW Watson 18 to 23 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Jordan missed 3 since 1/01, returns tonight: 21 min (194% of 11)
BACK Gordon back 1/01 after 2, 32 min since (99% of 32)
BACK Holiday back 12/28 after 4, 15 min since (99% of 15)
OKC availability going into 12/21 · 2 days' restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 12 min since (97% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 15 min since (151% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 12 min since (97% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 14 min since (136% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Micić missed 2 since 12/21, returns tonight: 16 min (133% of 12)
OKC availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backBACK Micić back 12/18 after 2, 12 min since (97% of 12)
OKC availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/18 after 2, 12 min since (97% of 12)
OKC availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 15 min since (124% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 14 min since (117% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 5 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Micić back 12/26 after 2, 13 min since (110% of 12)
OKC availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 6 since 12/26, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 18 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 25 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 53 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and OKC minus-3 and the defense, Denver allowing 107 a night to OKC's 113. Call it Denver 117, OKC 116, OKC keeping it close.
12/22 @ BKN 122-117 — DEN notes
DEN won 122-117. DEN shot 52% (45 of 87) to BKN's 48%, 11 of 26 from three. Murray led with 32 (11 of 19, 4 of 6 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Jokić added 31, Gordon 18. The hinge was Q3, 30-26: DEN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 2. DEN trailed 58-60 at the half and won the second half 64-57. Jokić was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
12/23 @ CHA 102-95 — DEN notes
DEN won 102-95. DEN shot 43% (39 of 90) to CHA's 39%, 12 of 30 from three, and got to the line 14 times to CHA's 23. Porter Jr. led with 22 (8 of 14, 5 of 8 from three); Murray added 20, Jokić 18. The hinge was Q3, 30-9: DEN came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 15, and the lead reached 18. DEN trailed 54-60 at the half and won the second half 48-35. Porter Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/25 vs GSW 120-114 — DEN notes
DEN won 120-114. DEN shot 49% (40 of 82) to GSW's 46%, 14 of 34 from three, and went to the line 32 times to GSW's 23 — 26 points from the stripe to their 20. Murray led with 28 (10 of 18, 3 of 5 from three); Jokić added 26, Porter Jr. 19. The hinge was Q3, 39-35: DEN came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 3. DEN trailed 53-54 at the half and won the second half 67-60. Porter Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
12/28 vs MEM 142-105 — DEN notes
DEN won 142-105. DEN shot 57% (55 of 96) to MEM's 42%, 20 of 41 from three, and got to the line 14 times to MEM's 25. The glass went 53-36 for them. Jokić led with 26 (11 of 11); Murray added 23, Watson 20. The hinge was Q4, 36-22: a lead of 23 became 37. Watson was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
12/29 vs OKC 93-119 — DEN notes
DEN lost 93-119. DEN shot 42% (36 of 85) to OKC's 51%, 10 of 37 from three. DEN turned it over 16 times to OKC's 11, and OKC turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 36-51 against them. Jokić led with 19 (9 of 10); Watson added 14, Porter Jr. 12. Q2 was theirs, 21-21, but the other 3 periods went 98-72 against them. Murray's -20 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/01 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 22 a game. Without Gordon (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 125, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Rozier at 26 and Bridges at 19 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Ball (15 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 110 a night to Charlotte's 125 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-1 a night and Charlotte minus-3. Call it Denver 121, Charlotte 108, Denver by 13.
1/04 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Curry at 24 and Wiggins at 14 a game. Without Green (10 straight), Moody (2 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Murray at 21 and Jokić at 20 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 105 a night to Golden State's 117 and the arc, Denver at 39 percent from three to Golden State's 34. Call it Denver 115, Golden State 113, Golden State keeping it close.
1/05 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 29 and F. Wagner at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Fultz (26 straight), Ingles (10 straight), Isaac (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 17 times a game to Denver's 12 and the defense, Denver allowing 112 a night to Orlando's 118. Call it Denver 117, Orlando 111.
1/07 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 20 a game. One day's rest. Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 132, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Cunningham at 26 and Bogdanović at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Stewart (5 straight), Bagley III (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 113 a night to Detroit's 132 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 15 times a game to Denver's 11. Call it Denver 123, Detroit 114.
12/21 vs LAC 134-115 — OKC notes
OKC won 134-115. OKC shot 59% (51 of 87) to LAC's 47%, 16 of 34 from three, and went to the line 18 times to LAC's 12 — 16 points from the stripe to their 10. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (11 of 25, 1 of 6 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Holmgren added 23, Dort 21. The hinge was Q3, 45-33: a lead of 5 became 17, and the lead reached 20. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/23 vs LAL 120-129 — OKC notes
OKC lost 120-129. OKC shot 48% (46 of 95) to LAL's 52%, 13 of 41 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (12 of 21, 1 of 5 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Jal. Williams added 28, Holmgren 19. Q4 was theirs, 29-22, the deficit cut from 16 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 107-91 against them. Joe's -20 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/26 vs MIN 129-106 — OKC notes
OKC won 129-106. OKC shot 60% (49 of 81) to MIN's 47%, 18 of 39 from three, and got to the line 16 times to MIN's 32. OKC turned it over 11 times to MIN's 21. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (14 of 19, 0 of 3 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Jal. Williams added 21, Dort 20. The hinge was Q4, 27-15: a lead of 11 became 23. Giddey was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/27 vs NYK 129-120 — OKC notes
OKC won 129-120. OKC shot 54% (49 of 90) to NYK's 50%, 14 of 32 from three, and got to the line 22 times to NYK's 30. OKC turned it over 4 times to NYK's 18. The glass went 27-40 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 36 (13 of 23, 2 of 5 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Jal. Williams added 36, Holmgren 22. The hinge was Q1, 38-25: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Dort was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
12/29 @ DEN 119-93 — OKC notes
OKC won 119-93. OKC shot 51% (46 of 91) to DEN's 42%, 12 of 35 from three. OKC turned it over 11 times to DEN's 16. The glass went 51-36 for them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 40 (14 of 20, 2 of 3 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Holmgren added 24, Giddey 12. The hinge was Q3, 34-20: a lead of 6 became 20, and the lead reached 26. Dort was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/31 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 54 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 35 and Jal. Williams at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 121, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Cam. Johnson at 19 and Bridges at 18 a game. Without Simmons (25 straight), Walker IV (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the line, where Brooklyn takes 31 free throws a game to OKC's 18 and the arc, OKC at 40 percent from three to Brooklyn's 35. Call it OKC 122, Brooklyn 114.
1/02 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 111, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 23 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 113, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Porziņģis at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-7 a night and OKC minus-1 and the line, where Boston takes 25 free throws a game to OKC's 19. Call it OKC 119, Boston 118, Boston keeping it close.
1/03 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Young at 29 and Murray at 23 a game. Without Hunter (5 straight), Krejčí (4 straight). 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 110, shooting 54 percent and 45 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 45 percent from three to Atlanta's 33 and the defense, OKC allowing 110 a night to Atlanta's 122. Call it OKC 120, Atlanta 118, Atlanta keeping it close.
1/05 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 120, shooting 40 percent and 27 from three, 24 free throws a game; Cam. Johnson at 15 and Bridges at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Simmons (28 straight), Walker IV (17 straight), Clowney (4 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 117, shooting 53 percent and 45 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 45 percent from three to Brooklyn's 27 and the glass, where Brooklyn has been plus-2 a night and OKC minus-4. Call it OKC 120, Brooklyn 114.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
LW L. Waters III
MI Micic
OS O. Sarr
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
VM V. Micić
DENBK B. Key
CB C. Braun
DJ D. Jordan
JH J. Holiday
JM J. Murray
JP J. Pickett
JS J. Strawther
JO Jokic
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RJ R. Jackson
ZN Z. Nnaji
OKC/DEN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
DENVER -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, 17 in the decisive third quarter, and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame another efficient shooting game from Nikola Jokic to beat the Denver Nuggets 119-93 on Friday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points or more for the fifth time this season and was four shy of his career best set last season. He was 14 of 20 from the field and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
“He was just cruising. He let the game come to him,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It never seemed like he was forcing. Played the right way throughout, made the right passes, kept them honest. It’s kind of routine at this point but he played a great game.”
Oklahoma City has won three straight and eight of its last 10 to surge past Denver in the Northwest Division. The Nuggets, who had their six-game winning streak snapped, have lost just three home games this season and the last two have come against the Thunder.
Those are Denver’s only losses in the last 11 games.
“It’s not a fluke they won the championship,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They’re a really good team and we know that every night we play them. You get out of bed to play against teams like that knowing they’re at the level that you want to get to.”
Chet Holmgren scored the Thunder’s first 10 points of the game and finished with 24, was 4 of 4 from 3-point range, and had two blocks. He had eight blocked shots against the Nuggets on Dec. 16.
“He’s a threat on the court in so many ways and him drawing that attention only makes it easier for the guys around him, including myself,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Jokic, who finished with 19 points, made 9 of 10 shots and over the last two games he is 20 of 21 from the field. He made his first four shots Friday night until missing a short jumper with 1:57 left in the first quarter. He had made 16 straight field goals going back to Monday’s game against Golden State.
Jokic had 10 rebounds but committed seven turnovers, two shy of his career high.
“You’ve got to be clean with the ball, you can’t play in a crowd,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of the turnovers. “It’s something they do to most teams, but you’re not going to give yourself a chance to win when you allow them to play to their strength.”
The Thunder led by six at halftime and used a 19-4 run to go ahead 75-58 midway through the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points late in the period to put Oklahoma City ahead 88-68 heading into the fourth.
The Nuggets got within 93-78 on Reggie Jackson’s 3-pointer but Jalen Williams hit two from deep and Kenrich Williams another from behind the line to give the Thunder a 102-80 lead.
Denver made one last push but Holmgren’s fourth 3-pointer of the night made it 107-87 with 4:14 left.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.
Nuggets: Host the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.