Oklahoma City Thunder (51-15) beat Denver Nuggets (39-26) 129-126 at home on Monday, March 9 in a game that stayed within 6 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets had the better start, winning the first 40-37 to lead by 3 after one. The Thunder moved in front with a 29-20 second quarter, carrying a 6-point lead into halftime.
The Nuggets won the third 33-30 to stay in front, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The teams matched each other with 33 points apiece in the fourth quarter, and the Thunder closed regulation with a 129-126 lead.
The edge that mattered
The Thunder got more from their shots, finishing at 60.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 53.6% for the Nuggets. The Thunder took better care of the ball, turning it over on 2.9% of possessions compared with 6.9% for the Nuggets. In a 3-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Nuggets did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 32% against 7%. The Thunder made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 102 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 126.5 points per 100 possessions to 123.5 for the Nuggets.
Who made the difference
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 35 pts, 9 reb, 15 ast on 14-21 shooting. His Game Score of 40 led everyone. His team was +2 with him on the floor.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 pts, 14 reb, 13 ast on 12-19 shooting, good for a 34.5 Game Score.
Jaylin Williams (29 pts, 12 reb, 3 ast), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 pts, 9 reb, 15 ast), and Aaron Gordon (23 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 81% chance.
Across the last 13 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 8-5.
The Thunder are now 51-15, and the Nuggets are 39-26. The Thunder last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.