Game ID: 42400227
Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM ET
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
OKC 21 39 37 28 125DEN 26 20 26 21 93
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 5/09 · 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)
OKC availability going into 5/24 · 1 day's restOUT Jay. Williams missed 2 since 5/20, returns tonight: 17 min (120% of 14)
BACK K. Williams back 5/18 after 4, 6 min since (42% of 15)
BACK Mitchell back 5/15 after 3, 3 min since (24% of 14)
OKC availability going into 5/26 · 1 day's restBACK K. Williams back 5/18 after 4, 8 min since (55% of 15)
BACK Jay. Williams back 5/24 after 2, 17 min since (120% of 14)
BACK Mitchell back 5/15 after 3, 7 min since (52% of 14)
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 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.
5/09 @ 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 107-119 — OKC notes
OKC lost 107-119. OKC shot 47% (43 of 92) to DEN's 47%, 11 of 40 from three, and got to the line 16 times to DEN's 32. The glass went 40-52 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (11 of 16, 2 of 4 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Holmgren added 19, Caruso 10. Q2 was theirs, 33-27, turning a 3-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 92-74 against them. They led by as many as 12. Dort's -18 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/18 vs DEN 125-93 — OKC notes
OKC won 125-93. OKC shot 49% (47 of 96) to DEN's 39%, 12 of 39 from three. OKC turned it over 9 times to DEN's 22. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 35 (12 of 19, 3 of 4 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Jal. Williams added 24, Holmgren 13. The hinge was Q2, 39-20: OKC came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 14, and the lead reached 43. Caruso was the night's best plus/minus at +40.
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.
5/24 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 28 and Randle at 24 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 18 times a game to OKC's 10 and the defense, OKC allowing 102 a night to Minnesota's 110. Call it OKC 112, Minnesota 108, Minnesota keeping it close.
5/26 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Randle at 24 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-3 a night and OKC minus-6 and the turnovers, Minnesota giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 10. Call it Minnesota 113, OKC 112, OKC keeping it close.
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 119-107 — DEN notes
DEN won 119-107. DEN shot 47% (40 of 86) to OKC's 47%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 32 times to OKC's 16 — 27 points from the stripe to their 10. The glass went 52-40 for them. Jokić led with 29 (9 of 14, 1 of 3 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Murray added 25, Braun 23. The hinge was Q3, 32-21: DEN came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 8, and the lead reached 16. DEN trailed 58-61 at the half and won the second half 61-46. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
5/18 @ OKC 93-125 — DEN notes
DEN lost 93-125. DEN shot 39% (33 of 84) to OKC's 49%, 10 of 44 from three. DEN turned it over 22 times to OKC's 9, and OKC turned those into 16 steals. Jokić led with 20 (5 of 9, 9 of 11 at the line); Braun added 19, Murray 13. Q1 was theirs, 26-21, but the other 3 periods went 104-67 against them. They led by as many as 11. Westbrook's -34 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DENAG A. Gordon
CB C. Braun
HT H. Tyson
JM J. Murray
JP J. Pickett
JS J. Strawther
JO Jokic
MP M. Porter Jr.
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
RW R. Westbrook
ZN Z. Nnaji
OKCAC A. Caruso
AM A. Mitchell
AW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
DJ D. Jones
IH I. Hartenstein
IJ I. Joe
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
JW Jay. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
OD O. Dieng
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
DEN/OKC 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
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder roll into West finals with 125-93 rout of Nuggets in Game 7
OKLAHOMA CITY -- — The Oklahoma City Thunder grew up on Sunday.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7.
The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016.
Oklahoma City went a league-best 68-14 in the regular season, becoming the youngest team to win at least 60 games. To back up their status as the best team in the league, the Thunder had to get past three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and a Denver squad that won the NBA title in 2023 and beat the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round this year.
Coach Mark Daigneault said his players handled the pressure well.
“There’s not many games, you wake up in the morning and you know that you’re going to remember the game for the rest of your life, and Game 7 is one of them,” he said. “To be able to focus through that and perform the way these guys did today was very impressive.”
Jokic had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets. Aaron Gordon , a key player for Denver throughout the playoffs who hit the winner in Game 1 against the Thunder, started despite a strained left hamstring . He had eight points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes.
“What he played with today, I don’t know many people that would even attempt to go out there and run up and down,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. “And he did it in Game 7 against Oklahoma City on the road. That that was one of most incredible things I’ve ever seen. He was extremely close to not playing. I was surprised.”
The Thunder fell behind by 11 in the first quarter, but took the lead early in the second. Oklahoma City outscored Denver 39-20 in the period to take a 60-46 lead at the break.
Gordon was called for a flagrant-1 foul for elbowing Gilgeous-Alexander in the face early in the third quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander made both free throws, and then Williams hit a short jumper to give Oklahoma City a 66-46 lead.
Cason Wallace got loose on a fast break and dunked on Jokic to put the Thunder up 78-57, sparking delirious roars from the crowd.
Oklahoma City cruised from there and now hopes to make another leap.
“We’re better now than we were at the beginning of the series, and it’s because of them,” Daigneault said. “They pushed us to the limit.”