Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40 Points, Dominant Third Quarter Lead OKC Thunder Past Nuggets
The Oklahoma City Thunder came out of halftime on a mission to get a second win in Denver this season.
The Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 119-93 to snap the Nuggets’ six-game winning streak and take over the second seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets fell to 9-2 in their past 11 games, with both losses coming to the Thunder in Ball Arena.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 40 points on an efficient 14-of-20 shooting performance. He also went perfect on his 10 free-throw attempts.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 20-point lead, Jalen Williams nailed a couple of 3-pointers midway through the quarter to keep the Nuggets at bay. Williams neared a triple-double with 11 points, seven rebounds and a team-high nine assists.
In the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander dominated the Nuggets, going for 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He also added a steal in the quarter to help the Thunder extend their lead to as much as 22 and head to the fourth quarter with a commanding lead.
The Thunder made a 19-4 run into the middle of the third quarter to take their largest lead up to that point at 17. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points in that stretch, including a 3-pointer to force the Nuggets to call a timeout.
A couple of jumpers from Isaiah Joe helped push the lead up to 20 points for the first time. Jaylin Williams also had a solid 16 minutes, finishing with eight rebounds and four assists.
By forcing seven Nuggets turnovers in the first half, the Thunder managed to take a 54-48 halftime lead. Three players had already scored 15 points by halftime, with Jokic being the only Nugget to reach that mark; he also added eight rebounds and four assists.
The reigning Finals MVP finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the night.
Chet Holmgren sparked the Thunder’s offense in the opening minutes. The rookie scored the team’s first 10 points, nailing a couple of 3-pointers.
His start led Oklahoma City to a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Holmgren finished with 24 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
The Thunder will finish 2023 on Sunday with their annual New Year's Eve game against the Brooklyn Nets.
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