Denver Nuggets (53-28) beat Oklahoma City Thunder (64-17) 127-107 at home on Friday, April 10. The final margin was 20 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets struck first, taking the opening quarter 34-27 and a 7-point lead after one. The Nuggets kept the pressure on with a 25-24 second quarter, carrying a 8-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder won the third 34-31 to stay in front, taking a 5-point lead into the fourth. The Nuggets took the fourth 37-22; the Nuggets finished the job for a 127-107 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 61.8% effective field-goal shooting compared with 49.5% for the Thunder. The Nuggets made 12.9 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 9.1 for the Thunder. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Thunder did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 12.7 against 15.3. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 122.7 points per 100 possessions to 103.4 for the Thunder.
The Nuggets' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 46-33.
Who stood out
Jonas Valanciunas was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 23 pts, 17 reb, 4 ast on 9-14 shooting. His Game Score of 25.1 led everyone. His team was +16 with him on the floor.
Branden Carlson led the Thunder with 23 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast on 8-18 shooting, good for a 21.8 Game Score.
Jonas Valanciunas (23 pts, 17 reb, 4 ast), Branden Carlson (23 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast), and Nikola Topic (14 pts, 2 reb, 11 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 42% for the Nuggets.
Across the last 14 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 9-5.
The Nuggets are now 53-28, and the Thunder are 64-17. The Nuggets 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.