Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helps OKC Thunder pull away from Denver Nuggets in battle for 2nd seed

The 2nd and 3rd seed heading into tonight, this game was bound to be competitive, and it definitely was. Both teams weren’t at full strength, but when push came to shove Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fought through and led the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Denver Nuggets 105-100 at the Paycom Center.

The OKC Thunder have been a pleasant surprise, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander transformed himself from an All-Star caliber player to MVP candidate and rookie Chet Holmgren proved to be a Rookie of the Year candidate in a race that also includes 1st overall pick Victor Wembanyama. OKC is one of the youngest teams in the NBA with a bunch of draft capital, and to see them thrive with this much success early on it will be interesting to see what they do with the trade deadline looming.

SGA led the Thunder in scoring with 34 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Rookie Chet Holmgren bounced back from a couple rough performances, and he ended tonight with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks with 3 threes made. OKC was without sophomore sensation Jalen Williams so Aaron Wiggins filled in off the bench scoring 12 points.

Denver was without 2-time MVP and Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, so Aaron Gordon led the way with 16 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks. Jamal Murray had 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks while Michael Porter Jr. finished with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists.

For the Thunder, this was a huge win after 2 tough losses and giving up the 1st seed to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder are now 33-15 and locked into the 2nd seed for now, 1 game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves. OKC is 6-4 over their last 10 games and will look to make it 2 wins in a row with a matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

On the other hand, for the Nuggets, this loss drops them to 33-16, which makes them fall to the 4th seed in the Western Conference. With the top of the West very competitive, every game matters so Denver will look to bounce back in their next game. The Nuggets are 7-3 in their last 10 games and will look to turn things around on Friday night when they face the Portland Trail Blazers.