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The Denver Nuggets started off hot by giving Jamal Murray an easy bucket on a back cut, but they immediately gave up a 3-point shot to George Hill. It was a quiet few minutes with the two failed rally teams before Luguentz Dort converted a layup into transition. Nikola Jokic picked it up with his own bucket, but Jamal Murray then made a foul which Isaiah Roby converted and turned into a 3-point game.
Down 4-8, Jokic had an easy float to fall on Roby before Dort made a triple that kept Denver at arm’s length. Jokic put a big dunk aside before Will Barton could make a transition layup to bring the Nuggets back in one. Following a turnaround by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Barton reversed a 3-point shot to give them the advantage. A turnover from Murray led to an easy basket from Darius Bazley.
A bad failure from Murray gave Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a free run to the rim before Barton knocked down a triple and forced the Thunder to take a time out. Denver returned the ball after a Thunder score, but no damage was done. Following misfires on both sides, Jokic got the score again with an easy lay-up. Dort made their own layup to keep the score of a game by one point. A foul from Jokic sent Roby to the line where he went 2 of 2.
The two teams traded misses and turnovers before Jokic made his way to the free throw line where he was able to regain the lead with a perfect performance. Bazley converted a layup before Jokic got a shot to go through a contact and found himself at the line where he finished the game by 3 points. Unfortunately, they gave up an easy 3 point mark which again gave up that lead.
Out of a block from JaMychal Green, Dort arrived at the rim for a layup and forced Michael Malone to call a 26-23 timeout. Coming out of the timeout, PJ Dozier missed a 3-point open shot and the Thunder converted one of theirs to gain a six-point lead. On a 3-point miss by Jokic, the Thunder converted a reverse layup, and they had given up 10 straight points. The two teams traded several failures before Jokic got a second chance.
A fault by Facundo Campazzo sent Gilgeous-Alexander to the line where he missed his two attempts before his failure was eliminated. Campazzo forced a roll and Dozier managed to reverse a big 3-point shot. With less than five seconds to go, Dozier was fouled on a 3-point shot with a chance to tie the game at the line. He converted the three and we were tied at 31 as we approached the second quarter.
Both teams started the second quarter slowly before Isaiah Hartenstein suffered a shooting foul at 11:03, and he made his two attempts to regain that lead. Green found Campazzo for a 3-point shot to lead to five. Denver was on a 15-0 run following a mark from Green, and that led to an OKC timeout with 9:49 to go. Out of the timeout, Hamidou Diallo grabbed an offensive rebound that turned into a mark and a 3-point game on the line before Dozier and Theo Maledon made it a 3-point game.
Denver forced a near-renewal by the Thunder, but they couldn’t score any points. Diallo drove right at Green and drew before shooting 1 of 2 at the line. They traded empty goods before Monte Morris converted a reverse overlay. A failure by Mike Muscala led to another bucket of transition by Morris. Both teams traded bad duds before Campazzo found Morris with a feed between his legs during the break for an easy layup.
After a Thunder timeout, each side burned a possession before Bazley knocked down the easiest 3-point shot of his life, to which a Paul Millsap dunk responded. On the other side, Hill got another triple to drop, and the Thunder were in the process of bringing Denver back as they were now down four. Millsap knocked down 1 in 2 free throws before the Nuggets forced a roll before giving it back with one of their own.
The Nuggets bailed out Gilgeous-Alexander by messing him up with less than five seconds on the shot clock. Millsap closed it with a block, but missed a rabbit layup on offense. A Gary Harris foul sent Shai to the line where he converted the two shots. When they tried to get the ball in, Murray fouled Dort with a push, and the Thunder failed to get them to pay by returning it right away.
At the other end, Jokic grabbed his own rebound and converted the second chance points before Dort got a big 3-point shot. Barton made a triple on his own, and Murray managed to shoot a Dort foul that sent Murray to the line where he had a free kick to go. On a failure by Hill, Millsap knocked down a triple, and they were leading by nine with 90 seconds left in the half. Jokic found a wide-open Harris in the corner and he converted the shot to give them a 12-point lead 60 seconds to go before a Dort triple wiped him out.
Murray went to the basket with 45 seconds left and knocked out the layup. On the other side, the Thunder were unable to convert. Jokic caught a check from Murray and put the shot in to give him 19 in the first half, and Denver was leading 65-52 before halftime. He had 19 points and eight rebounds at the half, and he dominated the Thunder’s smaller front end.
Denver started the first half with a steal off the Thunder which Jokic turned into an offensive rebound stoppage. Roby had the ball knocked down by Millsap, but the Nuggets were left empty before Millsap intentionally fouled a Dort drive that sent him to the line where he converted 1 of 2. The Nuggets missed a pair. of 3-point shots, and the Thunder returned the favor.
Shai caught the third foul on Millsap, but he only made it 1 of 2 on the line. After some tough possessions, Harris found Millsap in the corner for a triple to take a 16-point lead. They traded duds again before Dort came in for an easy layup. Not to be outdone, Jokic walked straight to the rim for a layup that forced OKC to call another timeout by 16. Coming out of the timeout, Harris stole it from Shai, and Harris was rewarded with a turn three for his efforts.
Towards the bottom of 19, the Thunder came empty on an open triple, and the same happened for Denver. Roby finally stopped the race with a euro-step layup around Jokic. Barton was called up for a trip and Gilgeous-Alexander went to work for a layup around Murray. After a poor run from Denver, the Thunder got an easy dunk that forced a frustrating timeout for Malone of 13. Out of the timeout, Millsap grabbed another offensive rebound and converted a layup that gave him a double-double at night.
Denver gave up an easy bucket on the other end before Jokic found Morris for a layup. Up 15, Barton got a midrange jumper to drop with 4:45 left in the quarter. Jokic grabbed a rebound to secure a double-double before Millsap converted another layup to reduce the lead to 19 before a 3-point shot from the Thunder. Jokic found Millsap who found Morris in the corner for a triple of his. Jokic hit Barton with an out pass that gave Harris an easy dunk with a flashy pass.
By 21, Gilgeous-Alexander arrived at the rim for a layup to stop the Nuggets’ 11-3 run before Jokic brought down a long jumper. A failure by Jokic led to a transition opportunity for the Thunder, but nothing came of it. With less than two minutes remaining, Barton fed Jokic for an easy layup as Denver worked to stretch their lead before SGA converted a finger. Jokic punched Harris into the corner, which gave him his 11th point on the night and gave the team five double-digit players on the night.
Jokic hit Morris with a pass for a layup, and Denver was running with the clock running in the quarter. Morris missed an open triple, and the Thunder called them off by fouling Jokic. Mike Muscala knocked down a triple with the clock nearly finished, and Denver was leading 97-74 as the fourth quarter approached. This match gave Jokic his 14th consecutive double-double to start the season.
Denver started the fourth quarter with a triple by Green, and it looks like the starts were made overnight for Denver except for a massive second unit collapse. SGA went 1 of 2 on the line, and the Nuggets had empty possession on offense following an offensive foul by Hartenstein. A failure from the Thunder turned into an intimidating ball layering by Green against Muscala before Hartenstein fouled Josh Hall, although he missed the only free throw.
Green attempted a huge dunk which he failed to convert, and the Thunder went coast to coast to reach 79-102, forcing Malone to request a time out. Coming out of the break, Green missed a triple, but the Thunder bailed him out with a turnover. Morris found Dozier for a 3-point shot from the wing, but Diallo immediately responded with one of his own.
Hartenstein arrived at the rim for a layup, and he converted the foul shot before ending the game at 3 points. Denver drew a loading foul on the Thunder, and they extended their lead to 28 on the other end. Denver returned the ball, which gave OKC an easy layup before Green threw the ball out of bounds right away for another turnaround. Hartenstein collapsed while fouling the Thunder, and the two sides were playing a real botched two-way empty-goods trade at 7:00 am to go.
After more than a minute without a point, Green converted another 3-point shot to stretch the lead to 29 before OKC called another time out. The benches were clearing with RJ Hampton and Bol Bol now in the game. OKC and Denver traded misfires and turnovers before a long triple from Justin Jackson raised the score. Zeke Nnaji had also entered the game, and he made his presence known with a foul from Hall, which made his two free throws.
Hampton called a foul on Jackson, and he moved into the scoring column with a pair of free throws. Dozier came out, and Vlatko Čančar entered the match. Jackson scored on another long 3-point shot. The score had given way, and each team was given buckets for their guys off the bench, including a big dunk from Bol. Markus Howard came straight to the rim with a 1:30 hour layup, but he quickly turned it around on the next possession with uncontrollable practice.
Denver was back at .500 with this convincing win. They won’t all be this easy and it was important that their starters get some rest later in the game. Going forward, the goal is to make this game a future success after a convincing 119-101 victory over the Thunder.
Statistical leaders
Points: Nikola Jokic – 27
Assists: Will Barton & Jokic – 6
Rebounds: Paul Millsap & Jokic – 12
Player of the game: Nikola Jokic 27 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 12-21 field goal, 0-4 3 points, 3-3 free throws
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