It was a difficult loss for the Denver Nuggets, made even more difficult that Denver came back to regain a lead only to watch it slip away.

After a horrible first quarter that saw the Nuggets score just eight total points, Denver spent the better part of the next two quarters working their way back into the game. With elite defense being played, the Nuggets slowly chipped away at the lead and ultimately reclaimed it in the third quarter when shots started to fall in earnest. The Oklahoma City Thunder appeared to be reeling at that point, but the Nuggets couldn’t keep the pressure on forever. The offense sputtered down the stretch, and OKC retook the lead in the closing minutes, a deficit that Denver just couldn’t overcome.

On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn reacts to an ugly Game 4 clutch loss by the Denver Nuggets to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nikola Jokic’s struggles continued, and the rest of the Nuggets were perhaps worse today, certainly from a shooting efficiency standpoint. Nobody had any energy, and the Thunder won because of their depth succeeding during the quick turnaround.

Ryan breaks down the loss, a missed opportunity for the Nuggets, Jokic’s slump, and whether the Nuggets have enough left in the tank to win Game 5.

Pickaxe and Roll is a Nuggets podcast streamed live on YouTube every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 10am MT. You can catch episodes live by subscribing to the Mile High Sports YouTube channel and turning on Bell Notifications.

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If you can’t catch Pickaxe and Roll live, listen to the audio version on the BLEAV Podcast Network, or download this podcast episode wherever you get podcasts.