Gilgeous-Alexander gets hot in OKC’s opening game win over Denver

The OKC Thunder overwhelmed the Denver Nuggets defensively and helped them to a 102:87 win in the season opener. The Thunder got the most out of their star players on both sides of the ball and seemingly controlled the pace of the game for the entire 48 minutes.

A slow start in the first quarter quickly put a damper on the Thunder, losing 18-10 with six minutes left in the game’s opening period. A few wild sequences soon after catapulted the Thunder ahead, leading 31-24 when the clock read zero.

OKC’s defensive prowess as a unit was on full display in the first quarter and only improved as the game went on. They did allow 24 points early, but the number of deflections and ability to stop shots at the rim helped the Thunder take the lead.

The Nuggets were no slouches on defense either. Similarly, they did an excellent job of disrupting shots at the rim and causing multiple deflections. Every basket from every team was hard-earned.

The main catalyst that helped maintain the Thunder’s lead early in the second quarter was swing guard Aaron Wiggins. He got off to a good start, scoring nine points on 4-for-4 shooting. One of those looks was a wide-open three-point shot with the others inside the perimeter.

OKC continued its defensive pressure and forced ten turnovers by the end of the first half. Thunder centers Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Lu Dort all wreaked havoc while defending their respective matches. Although they only led 58-51 at halftime, there weren’t many comfortable shot attempts from the Nuggets.

Denver also shot just 3 of 17 from distance, a major reason for the deficit in the first half. Holmgren and star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder at halftime, both with 11 points on around 50% shooting.

The Nuggets tried to cut the lead quickly in the second half, with a quick triple from forward Michael Porter Jr. and a quick break dunk from Christian Braun. The score was quickly separated by just six points, but Holmgren quickly responded with a pick-and-roll dunk and a transition triple.

Braun and Porter led a big run and made the Thunder sweat a bit. A response was needed and that’s exactly what happened, with Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander contributing to further momentum.

Holmgren’s dominance on both ends of the floor increased as the clock ticked down, with a block on Nikola Jokic that silenced the crowd and a quick dunk that silenced the ball to give the Thunder an 81-66 -Provide leadership. With a lead of 85:68, there was a separation at the beginning of the final phase.

OKC did exactly what it needed to do to maintain its lead in the fourth quarter: stay solid on defense and stay efficient on offense. Gilgeous-Alexander imposed his will on all three levels offensively, especially when attacking the basket.

Porter Jr. had a chance to cut the deficit to 10 points with a transition triple, but it failed and Holmgren secured a key defensive rebound. This was Denver’s chance to make the final two minutes interesting, and OKC took over from there.

Regardless of whether the Thunder were able to pull out a win over Denver, the minutes Aaron Wiggins gave them were detrimental to the team’s victory. Wiggins finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds on 7-for-9 shooting.

The leading scorer for OKC in the win was Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 28 points on 11-for-24 shooting. He remained consistent and efficient for OKC throughout the game.

Holmgren did almost everything for the Thunder in the first game, blocking four shots and grabbing 14 rebounds while finishing with 25 points on an efficient 11-for-18 shooting performance. Aside from his 0-for-5 perimeter shooting performance, there were minimal flaws to be found in his first game of the season.

In a well-rounded scoring performance from the Nuggets, it was Jokic and Braun who took the lead. Jokic finished the game with 16 goals on 6-for-13 shooting along with 13 assists and 12 rebounds for a typical triple-double performance. Braun scored 16 points and 7 rebounds while displaying high-intensity defense throughout the game.

OKC travels to Chicago to take on the Chicago Bulls for the second game of the new NBA season on Saturday, October 26th at 7pm CT.

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