Game ID: 22300682
Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 19 28 26 32 105DEN 28 23 21 28 100
DEN @ OKC ScoutingDEN @ 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.
OKC availability going into 1/24 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 3 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 4 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 5 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/29 · back-to-backOUT Dieng missed 6 since 1/18, out tonight
OKC availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Dieng missed 7 since 1/18, returns tonight: 9 min (85% of 10)
OKC availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restBACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 9 min since (85% of 10)
OKC availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 2 since 1/31, out tonight
OUT Joe missed 2 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 14 min since (142% of 10)
OKC availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 3 since 1/31, returns tonight: 35 min (110% of 32)
OUT Joe missed 3 since 1/31, out tonight
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 12 min since (123% of 10)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 24 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/10 · 3 days' restOUT Joe missed 4 since 1/31, returns tonight: 16 min (89% of 18)
BACK Jal. Williams back 2/06 after 3, 35 min since (110% of 32)
BACK Dieng back 1/31 after 7, 12 min since (118% of 10)
NEW Wiggins 16 to 23 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 8 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 1/25 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/21, returns tonight: 12 min (82% of 15)
OUT Strawther missed 9 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 10 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (82% of 15)
DEN availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 11 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (82% of 15)
DEN availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/27, returns tonight: 11 min (78% of 15)
OUT Strawther missed 12 since 1/05, out tonight
DEN availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 13 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (80% of 15)
DEN availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restOUT Strawther missed 14 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/25 after 2, 12 min since (79% of 15)
DEN availability going into 2/08 · 3 days' restOUT Strawther missed 15 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 12 min since (78% of 15)
NEW Watson 18 to 23 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/09 · back-to-backOUT Strawther missed 16 since 1/05, returns tonight: 20 min (192% of 11)
BACK Holiday back 1/31 after 2, 15 min since (103% of 15)
NEW Watson 18 to 24 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-4 a night and OKC minus-1 and the arc, OKC at 36 percent from three to Denver's 30. Call it OKC 115, Denver 109.
1/24 @ SAS 140-114 — OKC notes
OKC won 140-114. OKC shot 56% (54 of 96) to SAS's 50%, 18 of 40 from three, and got to the line 16 times to SAS's 25. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (9 of 15, 12 of 12 at the line); Wiggins added 22, Holmgren 17. The hinge was Q3, 37-24: a lead of 11 became 24, and the lead reached 32. K. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/26 @ NOP 107-83 — OKC notes
OKC won 107-83. OKC shot 48% (42 of 88) to NOP's 39%, 10 of 33 from three. OKC turned it over 11 times to NOP's 20. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (10 of 21, 3 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Holmgren added 20, Jal. Williams 15. The hinge was Q2, 28-17: OKC came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 26. Jal. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/28 @ DET 104-120 — OKC notes
OKC lost 104-120. OKC shot 48% (44 of 92) to DET's 49%, 8 of 28 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 18 fouls committed. The glass went 43-53 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (13 of 20); Jal. Williams added 20, Giddey 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-24, but the other 3 periods went 96-73 against them. They led by as many as 10. Holmgren's -20 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/29 vs MIN 101-107 — OKC notes
OKC lost 101-107. OKC shot 44% (35 of 79) to MIN's 48%, 14 of 35 from three, and went to the line 22 times to MIN's 15 — 17 points from the stripe to their 13. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 37 (10 of 18, 2 of 3 from three, 15 of 16 at the line); Jal. Williams added 20, Giddey 13. Q3 was theirs, 30-24, turning a 2-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 83-71 against them. Giddey's -17 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/31 vs DEN 105-100 — OKC notes
OKC won 105-100. OKC shot 43% (37 of 87) to DEN's 40%, 11 of 26 from three, and went to the line 25 times to DEN's 16 — 20 points from the stripe to their 11. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (10 of 22, 2 of 3 from three, 12 of 13 at the line); Holmgren added 18, Wiggins 12. The hinge was Q2, 28-23: the deficit went from 9 to 4. OKC trailed 47-51 at the half and won the second half 58-49. Micić was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
2/02 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 123, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Bridges at 23 and Washington at 22 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 105 a night to Charlotte's 123 and the glass, where OKC has been plus-0 a night and Charlotte minus-7. Call it OKC 120, Charlotte 107, OKC by 13.
2/04 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 18 a game. Without Jal. Williams (2 straight), Joe (2 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Barnes at 22 and Trent Jr. at 14 a game. Without Barrett (3 straight), Freeman-Liberty (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 103 a night to Toronto's 121 and the turnovers, Toronto giving it away 15 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it OKC 118, Toronto 109.
2/06 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Markkanen at 22 and Sexton at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Hendricks (11 straight), Horton-Tucker (3 straight), Juzang (25 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 14 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Jal. Williams (3 straight), Joe (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 112 a night to Utah's 124 and the glass, where Utah has been plus-6 a night and OKC minus-1. Call it OKC 118, Utah 117, Utah keeping it close.
2/10 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Dončić at 33 and Irving at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Lively II (5 straight), Exum (7 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 16 a game. Without Joe (4 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it OKC 116, Dallas 115, Dallas keeping it close.
1/23 @ IND 114-109 — DEN notes
DEN won 114-109. DEN shot 50% (44 of 88) to IND's 49%, 11 of 33 from three. Jokić led with 31 (13 of 19, 3 of 4 from three); Murray added 31, Caldwell-Pope 14. The hinge was Q3, 39-19: DEN came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 12. DEN trailed 54-62 at the half and won the second half 60-47. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
1/25 @ NYK 84-122 — DEN notes
DEN lost 84-122. DEN shot 40% (34 of 84) to NYK's 53%, 5 of 26 from three, and got to the line 13 times to NYK's 20. DEN turned it over 19 times to NYK's 8, and NYK turned those into 12 steals. Jokić led with 31 (13 of 18, 2 of 3 from three); Gordon added 12. Q4 was theirs, 18-24, but the other 3 periods went 98-66 against them. Murray's -29 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/27 vs PHI 111-105 — DEN notes
DEN won 111-105. DEN shot 45% (37 of 82) to PHI's 53%, 13 of 37 from three, and went to the line 38 times to PHI's 16 — 24 points from the stripe to their 13. Jokić led with 26 (8 of 16, 10 of 16 at the line); Murray added 23, Porter Jr. 20. The hinge was Q4, 25-17: DEN came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 6. Porter Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/29 vs MIL 113-107 — DEN notes
DEN won 113-107. DEN shot 48% (44 of 91) to MIL's 43%, 4 of 18 from three. Murray led with 35 (13 of 22, 9 of 10 at the line); Jokić added 25, Porter Jr. 13. The hinge was Q3, 26-19: from level to 7 ahead. Jackson was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/31 @ OKC 100-105 — DEN notes
DEN lost 100-105. DEN shot 40% (37 of 93) to OKC's 43%, 15 of 37 from three, and got to the line 16 times to OKC's 25. Gordon led with 16 (7 of 16, 1 of 3 from three, 1 of 6 at the line); Murray added 16, Jackson 16. Q1 was theirs, 28-19, but the other 3 periods went 86-72 against them. They led by as many as 13. Porter Jr.'s -16 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/02 vs POR — 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 104 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 28 and Murray at 23 a game. One day's rest. Portland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 114, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Simons at 25 and Ayton at 20 a game. Without Sharpe (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Denver 114, Portland 110, Portland keeping it close.
2/04 vs POR — 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 106 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 19 a game. One day's rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Simons at 24 and Grant at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Sharpe (12 straight), Rupert (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and Portland minus-4. Call it Denver 114, Portland 108.
2/08 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; James at 23 and Davis at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Reddish (7 straight), Vanderbilt (2 straight), Vincent (24 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 22 a game. 3 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 106 a night to the Lakers' 120 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and the Lakers minus-6. Call it Denver 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
2/09 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Fox at 22 and Sabonis at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 106 a night to Sacramento's 124 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Sacramento minus-7. Call it Sacramento 116, Denver 115, Denver keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
LW L. Waters III
MI Micic
OD O. Dieng
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
VM V. Micić
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
JH J. Holiday
JM J. Murray
KC K. Caldwell-Pope
MP M. Porter Jr.
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
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 105-100 on Wednesday night in a matchup of teams near the top of the Western Conference standings.
Denver star Nikola Jokic sat out because of pain in his lower back. Oklahoma City took advantage of the two-time league MVP's absence by holding the defending champion Nuggets to 39.8% shooting.
Oklahoma City's MVP contender wasn't sure he'd play, either. Gilgeous-Alexander was questionable but ended up with his 14th game in January with at least 30 points.
“Dealing with a little bit of illness, but I (felt) good enough to play, obviously," he said. "I wasn’t sure when I got listed. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to go tonight before the game, before a couple naps, couple sleeps. I had enough in me to go.”
Chet Holmgren had 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks and reserves Aaron Wiggins and Vasilije Micic each added 12 points for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City guard Jalen Williams , the team’s No. 2 scorer this season, was out with a sprained right ankle and reserve guard Isaiah Joe sat out with a bruised sternum.
“I just thought the team, like, solved problems together," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It was a great team win. We got contributions from everybody. In a game that was obviously a grind, I was just really, really impressed with the energy that we were able to tap into tonight.”
The Thunder won the season series 3-1 and avoided their first three-game skid of the season. Oklahoma City outrebounded Denver 53-47 and outscored the Nuggets 20-11 at the free throw line.
Aaron Gordon had 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets.
“I thought he was just phenomenal in terms of the effort and the aggression, the playmaking, the shot blocking, the defense," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "I mean, we asked a lot of him tonight. ... I thought Aaron was just, phenomenal across the board tonight. And, it’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to get the win.”
Michael Porter Jr . added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets.
Oklahoma City led 73-72 heading into the fourth and opened the period on a 10-0 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Lu Dort. Holmgren's one-handed putback of a missed 3-pointer by Cason Wallace put the Thunder ahead 87-74.
Denver cut its deficit to four before Gilgeous-Alexander scored on a 3-point play, then a 3-pointer, to put Oklahoma City up 10 with about four minutes remaining.
Denver stayed focused. Gordon's one-handed dunk in traffic cut Oklahoma City's lead to 98-95, and a pair of free throws by Jamal Murray made it a one-point game.
Holmgren's 3-pointer gave Oklahoma City a four-point lead with 22 seconds left. The Thunder then harassed Denver into a five-second call and hung on from there.
“We have guys on our team want to win, and will do whatever it takes," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "And no matter what’s going on, in the past and future, all you can do is control the present. And I think we did that tonight. We took it possession by possession. We gave it everything we had those possessions, and it was enough to win, and we were rewarded because of it.”