Three takeaways from the OKC Thunder’s late game loss to the Nuggets

Well, finishing the season 82-0 was unrealistic, right?

After a 7-0 start to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024-25 campaign — all of which were won by double digits — it fell to the Denver Nuggets by just two points on Wednesday night.

Nikola Jokic’s 23 points, 20 rebounds and 16 assists along with Russell Westbrook’s 29 points, six rebounds and six assists were far too much for the Thunder defense to handle, while many of its key offensive contributors underperformed.

Oklahoma City may have beaten Denver convincingly in their season opener, but the Nuggets didn’t let another game slip past their fingertips. It led 66-55 at halftime, but that quickly evaporated after a 15-point third-quarter deficit.

Here are three takeaways from the 124-122 loss:

Despite a solid scoring night on paper from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, turnovers were an issue throughout the game.

The MVP candidate committed a whopping eight turnovers against Denver, failing to take care of the ball and creating some easy scoring opportunities for his opponent. The Nuggets threw some offense at him defensively, but on some occasions it was simple fouls that he wasn’t used to.

Gilgeous-Alexander has been known to look to increase the production of his 3-point shot attempts, but sometimes that creates bad looks or forces him into a turnover. He shot 0-of-3 from behind the arc by the end of the game, and when he got mid-range looks, which he has been at the top of the NBA, he passed them on a few occasions.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s season average still ranks as one of the best players in the league, but with the experiments he’s trying offensively, there’s definitely room for error right now in his game. However, eight turnovers can’t happen, especially against title contenders like Denver.

Jalen Williams hasn’t had the most eye-catching start to the regular season, but last night he was the best pastor for Oklahoma City.

The forward posted a near triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals on 11-of-20 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. When the Thunder needed a bucket, more times than not it came from him.

Williams was still finding his shot early in the season, but this performance looks to build some momentum for him offensively. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren have dominated much of the box score this year, but Williams remains a reliable and key scorer who can reach the 30-point mark in any given game.

Assuming Williams continues this trajectory, there’s no reason why he couldn’t find himself in All-Star contention alongside the rest of Oklahoma City’s leading trio.

Obviously, the Thunder would have liked to keep winning as long as possible.

Its history-making start helped it get past its first seven opponents with relative ease and hold the best defensive rating in the NBA by a wide margin. But that ending to a former Nuggets championship team led by one of the greatest centers of all time? Not too bad a loss.

The Thunder got one over Denver in their first meeting of the season, and this time it looked like the Nuggets were far more prepared. Beating that team twice in a row is tough, especially since Jokic was helped by a Westbrook performance that turned back the clock.

The streak wasn’t supposed to last forever, and outside of a select few teams like the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City lost to one of the toughest opponents it will face all season. It will need to clean up some of the issues that caused it to lose, but there’s no reason to consider the loss a disappointment.

Next up for the Thunder is the Houston Rockets on Friday at 19.00 in the Paycom Center.

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