Game ID: 42400225
Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 27 27 24 34 112DEN 28 28 30 19 105
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 5/05 · 8 days' restBACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/20 after 3, 35 min since (101% of 35)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/20 after 2, 34 min since (103% of 33)
BACK Dort back 4/20 after 3, 30 min since (101% of 29)
BACK Holmgren back 4/20 after 2, 29 min since (102% of 28)
BACK Hartenstein back 4/20 after 3, 23 min since (89% of 26)
BACK Wallace back 4/20 after 3, 21 min since (78% of 26)
BACK Caruso back 4/20 after 2, 21 min since (100% of 21)
BACK K. Williams back 4/26 after 2, 2 min since (10% of 15)
OKC availability going into 5/07 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 4/26, returns tonight: 13 min (94% of 14)
BACK Gilgeous-Alexande back 4/20 after 3, 36 min since (103% of 35)
BACK Jal. Williams back 4/20 after 2, 35 min since (105% of 33)
BACK Dort back 4/20 after 3, 30 min since (102% of 29)
BACK Holmgren back 4/20 after 2, 29 min since (101% of 28)
BACK Hartenstein back 4/20 after 3, 25 min since (93% of 26)
BACK Wallace back 4/20 after 3, 21 min since (79% of 26)
BACK Caruso back 4/20 after 2, 22 min since (105% of 21)
BACK K. Williams back 4/26 after 2, 2 min since (10% of 15)
OKC availability going into 5/09 · 1 day's restBACK K. Williams back 4/26 after 2, 7 min since (45% of 15)
BACK Mitchell back 5/07 after 2, 13 min since (94% of 14)
OKC availability going into 5/11 · 1 day's restBACK K. Williams back 4/26 after 2, 7 min since (45% of 15)
BACK Mitchell back 5/07 after 2, 13 min since (94% of 14)
OKC availability going into 5/13 · 1 day's restOUT K. Williams missed 2 since 5/09, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 2 since 5/09, out tonight
OKC availability going into 5/15 · 1 day's restOUT K. Williams missed 3 since 5/09, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 3 since 5/09, returns tonight: 1 min (5% of 14)
OKC availability going into 5/18 · 2 days' restOUT K. Williams missed 4 since 5/09, returns tonight: 8 min (52% of 15)
BACK Mitchell back 5/07 after 2, 7 min since (49% of 14)
OKC availability going into 5/20 · 1 day's restBACK K. Williams back 5/18 after 4, 8 min since (52% of 15)
BACK Mitchell back 5/15 after 3, 4 min since (30% of 14)
OKC availability going into 5/22 · 1 day's restBACK K. Williams back 5/18 after 4, 9 min since (58% of 15)
BACK Mitchell back 5/15 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 14)
DEN availability going into 5/05 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 12 since 4/04, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 4/24 after 2, 5 min since (27% of 20)
BACK Nnaji back 4/24 after 2, 3 min since (28% of 10)
NEW Gordon 30 to 38 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 5/07 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 13 since 4/04, out tonight
NEW Murray 37 to 43 min over the last 5
NEW Braun 35 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Gordon 30 to 39 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 5/09 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 14 since 4/04, out tonight
NEW Gordon 30 to 36 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 5/11 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 15 since 4/04, out tonight
NEW Gordon 30 to 38 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 5/13 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 16 since 4/04, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 2 since 5/09, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 2 since 5/09, out tonight
NEW Gordon 30 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 5/15 · 1 day's restOUT Šarić missed 17 since 4/04, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 3 since 5/09, out tonight
OUT Jordan missed 3 since 5/09, out tonight
OUT Nnaji missed 2 since 5/11, out tonight
NEW Gordon 30 to 37 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 5/18 · 2 days' restOUT Šarić missed 18 since 4/04, out tonight
OUT Pickett missed 4 since 5/09, returns tonight: 10 min (76% of 13)
OUT Jordan missed 4 since 5/09, out tonight
OUT Nnaji missed 3 since 5/11, returns tonight: 10 min (94% of 10)
NEW Gordon 30 to 37 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 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 43 percent and 30 from three, 29 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 15 times a game to OKC's 10 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-3 a night and OKC minus-4. Call it OKC 118, Denver 109.
5/05 vs DEN 119-121 — OKC notes
OKC lost 119-121. OKC shot 42% (42 of 100) to DEN's 44%, 15 of 43 from three. OKC turned it over 9 times to DEN's 18. The glass went 43-63 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (12 of 26, 2 of 6 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Caruso added 20, Jal. Williams 16. Q2 was theirs, 33-24, but the other 3 periods went 97-86 against them. They led by as many as 14.
5/07 vs DEN 149-106 — OKC notes
OKC won 149-106. OKC shot 56% (50 of 89) to DEN's 38%, 16 of 36 from three. OKC turned it over 9 times to DEN's 20. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (11 of 13, 11 of 11 at the line); Jal. Williams added 17, Holmgren 15. The hinge was Q1, 45-21: from level to 24 ahead, and the lead reached 49. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +51.
5/09 @ DEN 104-113 — OKC notes
OKC lost 104-113 in 1 overtime. OKC took 19 more shots (104 to 85), fed by 18 offensive rebounds, but shot 38% to DEN's 46%, 9 of 35 from three. Jal. Williams led with 32 (11 of 21, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Gilgeous-Alexander added 18, Holmgren 18. Q1 was theirs, 28-22, but the other 4 periods went 91-76 against them. Jal. Williams's -11 in 43 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/11 @ DEN 92-87 — OKC notes
OKC won 92-87. OKC shot 36% (31 of 87) to DEN's 31%, 10 of 41 from three, and got to the line 26 times to DEN's 36. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 25 (8 of 19, 0 of 5 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Wallace added 11, Wiggins 11. The hinge was Q4, 29-18: OKC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 5, and the lead reached 15.
5/13 vs DEN 112-105 — OKC notes
OKC won 112-105. OKC shot 50% (41 of 82) to DEN's 41%, 12 of 29 from three, and went to the line 23 times to DEN's 13 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 31 (12 of 23, 1 of 3 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Jal. Williams added 18, Hartenstein 15. The hinge was Q4, 34-19: OKC came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 7. OKC trailed 54-56 at the half and won the second half 58-49. Holmgren was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
5/15 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 40 percent and 32 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Murray at 21 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 11 and the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to Denver's 115. Call it OKC 115, Denver 111, Denver keeping it close.
5/18 vs DEN — 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 106, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 41 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 22 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 15 times a game to OKC's 12 and the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to Denver's 113. Call it OKC 117, Denver 108.
5/20 vs MIN — 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 108 a night and allowing 103, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 18 a game. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 25 a game. That is 4 straight wins. 5 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 38 percent from three to OKC's 29 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 12. Call it OKC 111, Minnesota 107, Minnesota keeping it close.
5/22 vs MIN — 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 110 a night and allowing 98, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Jal. Williams at 15 a game. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Randle at 27 and Edwards at 25 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 12 and the arc, Minnesota at 39 percent from three to OKC's 33. Call it OKC 112, Minnesota 106.
5/05 @ OKC 121-119 — DEN notes
DEN won 121-119. DEN shot 44% (42 of 95) to OKC's 42%, 10 of 32 from three. DEN turned it over 18 times to OKC's 9, and OKC turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 63-43 for them. Jokić led with 42 (15 of 29, 2 of 6 from three, 10 of 13 at the line); Gordon added 22, Murray 21. The hinge was Q4, 36-29: DEN came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 2. DEN trailed 50-60 at the half and won the second half 71-59.
5/07 @ OKC 106-149 — DEN notes
DEN lost 106-149. DEN shot 38% (33 of 87) to OKC's 56%, 15 of 37 from three. DEN turned it over 20 times to OKC's 9, and OKC turned those into 12 steals. Westbrook led with 19 (5 of 11, 1 of 4 from three, 8 of 10 at the line); Jokić added 17, Murray 14. Q4 was theirs, 30-25, the deficit cut from 48 to 43, but the other 3 periods went 124-76 against them. Braun's -40 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/09 vs OKC 113-104 — DEN notes
DEN won 113-104 in 1 overtime. DEN shot 46% (39 of 85) to OKC's 38%, 16 of 40 from three. Murray led with 27 (9 of 19, 2 of 5 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Gordon added 22, Porter Jr. 21. The hinge was OT1, 11-2: from level to 9 ahead. DEN trailed 51-56 at the half and won the second half 62-48. Gordon was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
5/11 vs OKC 87-92 — DEN notes
DEN lost 87-92. DEN shot 31% (25 of 80) to OKC's 36%, 11 of 45 from three, and went to the line 36 times to OKC's 26 — 26 points from the stripe to their 20. Jokić led with 27 (7 of 22, 2 of 8 from three, 11 of 14 at the line); Braun added 17, Murray 17. Q3 was theirs, 33-21, turning a 6-point deficit into a 6-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 71-54 against them. Westbrook's -20 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/13 @ OKC 105-112 — DEN notes
DEN lost 105-112. DEN took 15 more shots (97 to 82), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 41% to OKC's 50%, 13 of 46 from three, and got to the line 13 times to OKC's 23. Jokić led with 44 (17 of 25, 5 of 7 from three); Murray added 28, Gordon 13. Q3 was theirs, 30-24, but the other 3 periods went 88-75 against them. They led by as many as 12. Braun's -11 in 43 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/15 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 40 percent and 32 from three, 28 free throws a game; Jokić at 30 and Murray at 21 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 11 and the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to Denver's 115. Call it OKC 115, Denver 111, Denver keeping it close.
5/18 @ OKC — 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 106, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 41 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 22 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Denver giving it away 15 times a game to OKC's 12 and the defense, OKC allowing 106 a night to Denver's 113. Call it OKC 117, Denver 108.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAC A. Caruso
AW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IH I. Hartenstein
IJ I. Joe
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
JO Jokic
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
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
Gilgeous-Alexander scores 31 as Thunder beat Nuggets 112-105 and take 3-2 lead in West semifinals
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 112-105 on Tuesday night to go up 3-2 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Oklahoma City overcame a 44-point, 15-rebound night from Denver's Nikola Jokic . The Thunder can clinch the series on Thursday in Denver.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 23 field goals and bounced back from a slow start to lead six players in double figures.
“What the great players do is they rise in the face of those challenges and adversities,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "And I just thought he got more and more composed as the game went on. And despite the fact that the pressure was mounting and it got hotter in there, he got cooler and just kind of settled into it, made the right plays, let the game tell him what to do.”
Jokic made 17 of 25 shots. Denver's Jamal Murray scored 28 points, but he made just 10 of 27 shots. No other Denver player scored more than 13 points.
“This is a really disappointing loss,” Denver interim coach David Adelman said. “The guys in there should be disappointed. It’s a heavy loss and we have to bounce back quickly to win Game 6 and give ourselves a chance to come back, have a game like this, but finish it.”
Oklahoma City ran out to a 12-2 lead, and it looked like it might turn out like the Thunder's blowout victory in Game 2 . Denver made one of its first nine shots, and that was a putback by Jokic.
Denver rallied and led by 11 in the second quarter, but Oklahoma City closed strong and trailed 56-54 at halftime. Jokic had 19 points and nine rebounds before the break.
Murray scored 13 points in the third quarter and Jokic added 12 to help the Nuggets take an 86-78 lead into the fourth. Still, there were missed opportunities.
“It felt like every time we had a chance to go back up 12, or get it back at 14, we wouldn’t make the shot and they’d run out and make a basket or score in transition," Adelman said. "So it compounded itself.”
Oklahoma City's Lu Dort, who scored three total points in the first three quarters, hit a trio of 3-pointers in a two-minute span to cut Denver's lead to 92-90 midway through the fourth.
Jokic hit a deep fadeaway 3-pointer to tie the game at 103 before Oklahoma City closed it out. Jalen Williams’ 3-pointer with 1:18 remaining gave the Thunder a 106-103 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s three with 48 seconds to go pushed Oklahoma City's lead to six.
“I thought we executed as well as we have in the playoffs down the stretch in a close game," Daigneault said.