Game ID: 22500711
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Denver Nuggets
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 9:30 PM ET
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
DEN 26 29 30 26 111OKC 32 30 39 20 121
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 1/23 · back-to-backOUT Jokić missed 13 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Braun missed 7 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 16 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Strawther missed 2 since 1/20, returns tonight: 27 min (179% of 15)
BACK Valančiūnas back 1/22 after 11, 22 min since (168% of 13)
NEW Jones 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 17 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/27 · 3 days' restOUT Jokić missed 14 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Braun missed 8 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 17 since 12/25, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 1/17 after 2, 17 min since (117% of 15)
BACK Valančiūnas back 1/22 after 11, 22 min since (168% of 13)
NEW Watson 30 to 35 min over the last 4
NEW Jones 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 21 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Jokić missed 15 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Braun missed 9 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 18 since 12/25, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 1/23 after 2, 19 min since (131% of 15)
BACK Valančiūnas back 1/22 after 11, 26 min since (203% of 13)
NEW Watson 30 to 36 min over the last 4
NEW Jones 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 21 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 1/30 · back-to-backOUT Jokić missed 16 since 12/31, returns tonight: 24 min (70% of 35)
OUT Braun missed 10 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 19 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 2 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Strawther back 1/23 after 2, 20 min since (136% of 15)
BACK Valančiūnas back 1/22 after 11, 26 min since (198% of 13)
NEW Watson 30 to 37 min over the last 4
NEW Jones 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 21 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 11 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Johnson missed 20 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 3 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 1/30 after 16, 24 min since (70% of 35)
BACK Strawther back 1/23 after 2, 19 min since (130% of 15)
BACK Valančiūnas back 1/22 after 11, 25 min since (190% of 13)
NEW Watson 30 to 37 min over the last 4
NEW Jones 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Pickett 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Nnaji 12 to 18 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Braun missed 12 since 1/11, returns tonight: 26 min (81% of 32)
OUT Johnson missed 21 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 4 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 1/30 after 16, 27 min since (77% of 35)
BACK Strawther back 1/23 after 2, 20 min since (134% of 15)
NEW Watson 30 to 36 min over the last 4
NEW Jones 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Valančiūnas 13 to 23 min over the last 4
DEN availability going into 2/04 · back-to-backOUT Johnson missed 22 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Gordon missed 5 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 1/30 after 16, 29 min since (82% of 35)
BACK Braun back 2/03 after 12, 26 min since (81% of 32)
NEW Watson 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 22 to 28 min over the last 4
NEW Valančiūnas 13 to 22 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/07 · 2 days' restOUT Johnson missed 23 since 12/25, returns tonight: 27 min (89% of 31)
OUT Gordon missed 6 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 1/30 after 16, 33 min since (93% of 35)
BACK Braun back 2/03 after 12, 35 min since (109% of 32)
NEW Watson 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Strawther 15 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Valančiūnas 13 to 19 min over the last 5
DEN availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restOUT Gordon missed 7 since 1/27, out tonight
BACK Jokić back 1/30 after 16, 33 min since (94% of 35)
BACK Braun back 2/03 after 12, 34 min since (106% of 32)
BACK Johnson back 2/07 after 23, 27 min since (89% of 31)
NEW Watson 30 to 36 min over the last 4
NEW Strawther 15 to 23 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 2 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 13 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Carlson back 1/21 after 4, 16 min since (140% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 1/15 after 2, 3 min since (28% of 11)
NEW Wiggins 19 to 26 min over the last 4
OKC availability going into 1/25 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 3 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 14 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 2 since 1/21, out tonight
OUT Wiggins missed 2 since 1/21, returns tonight: 30 min (154% of 19)
BACK Carlson back 1/21 after 4, 12 min since (101% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 1/15 after 2, 6 min since (52% of 11)
OKC availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 4 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 2 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 15 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 3 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Wiggins back 1/25 after 2, 30 min since (154% of 19)
BACK Carlson back 1/21 after 4, 12 min since (101% of 12)
NEW Dort 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW K. Williams 14 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 5 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 3 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Hartenstein missed 16 since 12/29, returns tonight: 18 min (76% of 24)
OUT Caruso missed 4 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Wiggins back 1/25 after 2, 32 min since (166% of 19)
BACK Carlson back 1/21 after 4, 10 min since (85% of 12)
NEW Dort 26 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Joe 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW K. Williams 14 to 25 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/01 · 2 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 6 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 4 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 5 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 1/29 after 16, 18 min since (76% of 24)
BACK Wiggins back 1/25 after 2, 29 min since (153% of 19)
BACK Carlson back 1/21 after 4, 10 min since (85% of 12)
NEW Dort 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Joe 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 24 min over the last 4
NEW K. Williams 14 to 25 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Jal. Williams missed 7 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 5 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Caruso missed 6 since 1/21, returns tonight: 19 min (98% of 19)
OUT Carlson missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 1/29 after 16, 20 min since (83% of 24)
BACK Wiggins back 1/25 after 2, 28 min since (148% of 19)
NEW Dort 26 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Joe 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW K. Williams 14 to 23 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/04 · back-to-backOUT Jal. Williams missed 8 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 6 since 1/23, out tonight
OUT Carlson missed 3 since 1/29, returns tonight: 16 min (137% of 12)
BACK Hartenstein back 1/29 after 16, 21 min since (87% of 24)
BACK Caruso back 2/03 after 6, 19 min since (98% of 19)
BACK Wiggins back 1/25 after 2, 26 min since (138% of 19)
NEW Dort 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW K. Williams 14 to 21 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/07 · 2 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 9 since 1/19, out tonight
OUT Mitchell missed 7 since 1/23, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 1/29 after 16, 21 min since (87% of 24)
BACK Caruso back 2/03 after 6, 19 min since (98% of 19)
BACK Carlson back 2/04 after 3, 16 min since (137% of 12)
NEW Dort 26 to 31 min over the last 4
NEW Joe 20 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Wiggins 19 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW K. Williams 14 to 22 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restOUT Gilgeous-Alexande missed 2 since 2/04, out tonight
OUT Jal. Williams missed 10 since 1/19, returns tonight: 24 min (89% of 27)
OUT Mitchell missed 8 since 1/23, out tonight
BACK Hartenstein back 1/29 after 16, 22 min since (91% of 24)
BACK Caruso back 2/03 after 6, 23 min since (117% of 19)
BACK Carlson back 2/04 after 3, 16 min since (137% of 12)
NEW Joe 20 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Wiggins 19 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW J. Williams 19 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW K. Williams 14 to 19 min over the last 5
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 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Murray at 24 and Watson at 22 a game. Without Braun (11 straight), Johnson (20 straight), Gordon (3 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Holmgren at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Jal. Williams (6 straight), Mitchell (4 straight), Caruso (5 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-2 a night and OKC minus-6 and the arc, Denver at 40 percent from three to OKC's 32. Call it Denver 112, OKC 111, OKC keeping it close.
1/23 @ MIL 102-100 — DEN notes
DEN won 102-100. DEN shot 40% (35 of 87) to MIL's 40%, 12 of 41 from three. Strawther led with 20 (6 of 13, 1 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Hardaway Jr. added 17, Brown 15. The hinge was Q3, 30-21: a lead of 6 became 15, and the lead reached 23. Strawther was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/27 vs DET 107-109 — DEN notes
DEN lost 107-109. DEN shot 48% (40 of 84) to DET's 47%, 10 of 29 from three. DEN turned it over 15 times to DET's 6, and DET turned those into 10 steals. Murray led with 24 (7 of 18, 0 of 6 from three, 10 of 15 at the line); Valančiūnas added 16, Brown 16. Q4 was theirs, 35-27, the deficit cut from 10 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 82-72 against them. Watson's -12 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/29 vs BKN 107-103 — DEN notes
DEN won 107-103. DEN shot 48% (38 of 80) to BKN's 44%, 13 of 26 from three, and went to the line 25 times to BKN's 18 — 18 points from the stripe to their 15. Murray led with 27 (9 of 16, 2 of 3 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Hardaway Jr. added 25, Watson 19. The hinge was Q2, 34-23: a lead of 4 became 15, and the lead reached 19. Hardaway Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/30 vs LAC 122-109 — DEN notes
DEN won 122-109. DEN shot 55% (40 of 73) to LAC's 47%, 16 of 28 from three, and went to the line 32 times to LAC's 21 — 26 points from the stripe to their 15. Jokić led with 31 (8 of 11, 2 of 3 from three, 13 of 17 at the line); Hardaway Jr. added 22, Watson 21. The hinge was Q1, 35-27: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Murray was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
2/01 vs OKC 111-121 — DEN notes
DEN lost 111-121. DEN shot 49% (39 of 79) to OKC's 47%, 16 of 35 from three. Watson led with 29 (11 of 17, 5 of 7 from three); Jokić added 16, Valančiūnas 13. Q4 was theirs, 26-20, the deficit cut from 16 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 101-85 against them. Jones's -22 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/03 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Cunningham at 25 and Duren at 19 a game. Without LeVert (7 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 25 free throws a game; Murray at 21 and Watson at 20 a game. Without Braun (12 straight), Johnson (21 straight), Gordon (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the arc, Denver at 42 percent from three to Detroit's 34. Call it Detroit 117, Denver 110.
2/04 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 95, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 18 free throws a game; Anunoby at 22 and Brunson at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without McBride (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 44 from three, 29 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 23 a game. Without Johnson (22 straight), Gordon (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 95 a night to Denver's 113 and the line, where Denver takes 29 free throws a game to New York's 18. Call it New York 117, Denver 109.
2/07 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 124, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Dosunmu at 20 and White at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Giddey (5 straight), Jones (8 straight), Collins (21 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 30 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Jokić at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Johnson (23 straight), Gordon (6 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Denver takes 30 free throws a game to Chicago's 22 and the turnovers, Chicago giving it away 16 times a game to Denver's 12. Call it Denver 119, Chicago 116, Chicago keeping it close.
2/09 vs CLE — 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 123 a night and allowing 122, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 32 free throws a game; Murray at 26 and Jokić at 25 a game. Without Gordon (7 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Allen at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Mobley (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the line, where Denver takes 32 free throws a game to Cleveland's 18 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 111 a night to Denver's 122. Call it Denver 120, Cleveland 119, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/23 vs IND 114-117 — OKC notes
OKC lost 114-117. OKC shot 49% (40 of 82) to IND's 47%, 7 of 26 from three, and went to the line 30 times to IND's 20 — 27 points from the stripe to their 11. The glass went 41-51 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 47 (17 of 28, 1 of 4 from three, 12 of 12 at the line); Holmgren added 25, K. Williams 12. Q2 was theirs, 25-19, the deficit cut from 11 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 98-89 against them. Dort's -17 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/25 vs TOR 101-103 — OKC notes
OKC lost 101-103. OKC shot 44% (33 of 75) to TOR's 43%, 11 of 43 from three. The glass went 37-51 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 24 (8 of 11, 8 of 10 at the line); Dort added 19, K. Williams 15. Q3 was theirs, 31-25, turning a 4-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 78-70 against them. Wiggins's -10 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/27 vs NOP 104-95 — OKC notes
OKC won 104-95. OKC shot 40% (35 of 87) to NOP's 34%, 13 of 38 from three. OKC turned it over 16 times to NOP's 8, and NOP turned those into 13 steals. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 29 (8 of 22, 0 of 3 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Holmgren added 20, Joe 17. The hinge was Q3, 31-23: a lead of 2 became 10, and the lead reached 17. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
1/29 @ MIN 111-123 — OKC notes
OKC lost 111-123. OKC shot 48% (41 of 86) to MIN's 51%, 11 of 31 from three. The glass went 36-46 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 30 (12 of 18); Holmgren added 15, Wallace 13. Q4 was theirs, 31-27, the deficit cut from 16 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 96-80 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander's -22 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/01 @ DEN 121-111 — OKC notes
OKC won 121-111. OKC shot 47% (40 of 85) to DEN's 49%, 19 of 48 from three. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 34 (11 of 16, 11 of 13 at the line); Wallace added 27, Holmgren 14. The hinge was Q3, 39-30: a lead of 7 became 16. Gilgeous-Alexander was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/03 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Jal. Williams (7 straight), Mitchell (5 straight), Caruso (6 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Banchero at 27 and Bane at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Fra. Wagner (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 110 a night to Orlando's 118. Call it OKC 117, Orlando 111.
2/04 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Fox at 17 a game. 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 27 and Holmgren at 15 a game. Without Jal. Williams (8 straight), Mitchell (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it San Antonio 112, OKC 111, OKC keeping it close.
2/07 vs HOU — 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 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Holmgren at 16 a game. Without Jal. Williams (9 straight), Mitchell (7 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 106, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 22 and Sengun at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-3 a night and OKC minus-3. Call it OKC 114, Houston 107.
2/09 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 109, shooting 53 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Dončić at 25 and Reaves at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 28 and Wallace at 16 a game. Without Gilgeous-Alexander (2 straight), Jal. Williams (10 straight), Mitchell (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 29 free throws a game to OKC's 23 and the arc, OKC at 38 percent from three to the Lakers' 34. Call it the Lakers 115, OKC 113, OKC keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
BB B. Barnhizer
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IH I. Hartenstein
IJ I. Joe
JW J. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
OD O. Dieng
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
DENBB B. Brown
DH D. Holmes II
HT H. Tyson
JM J. Murray
JP J. Pickett
JS J. Strawther
JV J. Valančiūnas
JO Jokic
NJ N. Jokić
PW P. Watson
SJ S. Jones
TH T. Hardaway Jr.
VA Valanciunas
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 34 points and Cason Wallace added a career-best 27, including seven 3-pointers, as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 121-111 on Sunday night.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 13 assists and the Thunder, who had lost three of four, sank 19 3-pointers. They went 8 of 13 from long range in the third quarter when Oklahoma City expanded a seven-point halftime cushion to 16.
Peyton Watson 's 29 points paced the Nuggets, who never led in the first of four games this season between the top two teams in the Western Conference. It was their first meeting since the Thunder beat Denver in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals last May on their way to winning the city's first NBA championship.
The Nuggets' pair of All-Stars had a rather quiet night.
Nikola Jokic scored 16 points but took only nine shots in his second game back from a knee injury that sidelined him for 16 games. Jamal Murray , who earned his first All-Star berth in his ninth NBA season Sunday, dished out 12 assists but scored just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting — including 1 for 8 from 3-point range.
The Thunder led by 14 in the first half and took a 62-55 advantage into the break. The Nuggets pulled to 74-70 in the third quarter before Chet Holmgren , also named an All-Star reserve Sunday, hit a 3 and Wallace sank his sixth and seventh 3-pointers. After a Denver timeout, SGA swished a 3 and so did Aaron Wiggins to cap a 12-0 run, with all the buckets coming from deep.
Both teams were missing several starters.
The Nuggets are hoping to get Christian Braun (left ankle) and Cameron Johnson (right knee) back before the All-Star break but won't have Aaron Gordon (right hamstring) until mid-March. Ruled out for the Thunder were Jalen Williams (hamstring), Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) and Alex Caruso (right adductor strain).
The Thunder did have center Isaiah Hartenstein (calf) and the Nuggets had Jokic (knee), both of whom returned to their respective lineups Thursday.
Up next Thunder: Host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night.
Nuggets: Visit the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.