Nuggets Outlast Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder blew a golden opportunity on Monday when they fell to the Denver Nuggets in overtime 121-113. In a game that turned out to be a battle of stamina, the Nuggets proved, for now, they are better equipped to handle the rigors of the NBA bubble.
With 2.9 seconds left, Chirs Paul, a 90 percent free-throw shooter, had the chance to put the Thunder ahead. Paul missed the first of two from the charity stripe, and the game went to overtime tied at 109.
In overtime, the Nuggets would outscore Oklahoma City 12-4, giving the Thunder their first loss of the NBA restart. The Thunder's depth took a significant hit with Dennis Schroder leaving Orlando for the birth of his second child.
Terrance Ferguson sat out of Monday's contest with a leg contusion, and Mike Muscala left midway thought the first quarter with concussion-like symptoms. Oklahoma City looked worn out in overtime with shots falling short, and Nikola Jokic treating Steven Adams like a rag doll on one play along the baseline.
I asked Paul if the lack of depth had anything to do with the Thunder being out of gas in the extra frame.
"We missed those guys, but still had an opportunity to win the game."..."If I make that free throw with 2.9 seconds left, I think we win the game."..."We missed em, but still could have won."
Aside from fatigue, the Thunder had a couple of other red flags. Oklahoma City turned the ball over 15 times and committed 32 fouls leading to 39 free throw attempts.
One bright spot was Abdel Nader. After playing three minutes vs. The Jazz Nader came off the bench to score 13 points in just over 13 minutes, including two big threes at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.
Michale Porter Jr. played Thunder killer, netting 37 points in 43 minutes. Billy Donovan said after the game he thought Porter Jr. was getting too many open looks.
The Thunder will try and regroup by Wednesday when they play the Lakers. Game time is set for 5:30 on Fox Sports Oklahoma and 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.
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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.