The Denver Nuggets’ 121-111 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t about one bad quarter, one missed shot, or one whistle. It was about details, and against one of the best teams in the NBA, those details add up quickly.
Denver stayed within striking distance most of the night, but a mix of turnovers, defensive breakdowns, and missed chances to capitalize on momentum ultimately tilted the game in OKC’s favor. The Thunder didn’t need Denver to implode. They just waited for the Nuggets to blink.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was incredible all night. The Nuggets had no answer for him when he was on the floor as he punished their soft doubles, blitzes, and traps with crisp passes. He then scored whenever he wanted in 1-on-1 coverage. A truly impossible cover in the modern NBA, especially if he’s also drawing fouls.
The most glaring number was 18 turnovers, a stat David Adelman called “inexcusable” after the game. Denver finished with 29 assists and 16 made threes, which normally points to a functional offensive night. But every turnover is a possession you don’t get to shoot, and against a defense like OKC’s, that margin disappears fast.
“You can’t have 18 turnovers,” Adelman said. “Eighteen times you don’t get to shoot the ball is inexcusable, especially in a game like that.”
That theme showed up repeatedly. Denver would get a stop, push in transition, then turn it over or make a different mistake offensive. They didn’t capitalize on their opportunities. Jamal Murray didn’t sugarcoat it.
“We got stops, then turned it over, then gave up a three,” Murray said. “Those are killers, and it happened over and over.”
On the other end of the floor, the Thunder didn’t reinvent themselves offensively. They did what they’ve done all season: hunt matchups and punish mistakes.
Adelman was blunt about it.
“They’re running basically the exact same stuff. It’s just hunting matchups,” he said. “They don’t run a lot of motion — it’s about finding a matchup and attacking it.”
That approach worked, particularly when Denver’s rotations slipped. OKC role players made Denver pay for late contests, and when the Nuggets sent help, the Thunder were ready to move the ball. The result was a steady diet of clean looks and pressure on Denver’s defensive structure. Cason Wallace in particular was excellent with 27 points while shooting 7-of-11 from three.
“You can’t give them both,” Adelman said. “If you bring help, your rotations have to be cleaner — and tonight they weren’t.”
That’s the margin against elite teams. Denver didn’t get blown out. They just weren’t sharp enough.
Nikola Jokic once again drew heavy attention, physical defense, and multiple bodies on nearly every touch. Adelman acknowledged that the way Jokic is guarded changes nightly, but he was clear that it wasn’t an excuse.
“It’s a night-to-night thing with how they’re allowed to guard him,” Adelman said. “Big guys are officiated differently than small guys. That’s just the truth. We have to react to that and play through it.”
Jokic didn’t handle that physicality well. If anything, he was caught up in it. He had 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, but he turned the ball over 6 times and simply looked frustrated throughout the night.
Denver had stretches where they did — particularly early in the third quarter when they cut the deficit to three — but the consistency wasn’t there. Against what Adelman called a “historically good defense,” hesitation and forced passes turned into empty possessions.
“We weren’t detailed enough,” Adelman said. “They beat us.”
If Denver needed a bright spot, Peyton Watson provided it.
Watson’s defensive assignment was unenviable, and his offensive confidence continues to grow. He finished strong attacking closeouts, shot the ball with confidence, and competed on every possession. That mindset is starting to translate into real impact. Watson talked openly about how experience has changed his game.
“The experience is everything,” he said. “My teammates trust me, my coaches trust me.”
His shooting confidence has unlocked the rest of his offensive profile.
“I’m shooting the ball so well that guys have to chase me now,” Watson said. That’s allowing him to go off the dribble a bit easier too, which forces opponents to commit more attention to stopping Watson going forward.
Watson also made it clear he’s thinking bigger picture, not just about matchups, but about where his career is headed.
“I feel like I can be one of the best two-way players in the league,” he said. “And I feel like I’m emerging as one right now.”
Never short on confidence.
The loss came on a night when Jamal Murray found out he would making his first All-Star appearance this season.
“I feel good, but I still want more,” Murray said of learning about the news. “This is great, but there’s a bigger goal.”
Murray making the All-Star team matters for recognition, for legacy, for how the league views him. It doesn’t change the standard inside the locker room though.
It was an interesting moment. Murray really struggled shooting tonight, going 4-of-16 from the field and 1-of-8 from three. He told media postgame that he simply needed to shoot the ball better to give Denver a chance. Though many fans hyper-fixate on this game over anything, Murray’s All-Star nod dulled the fire a bit, a celebration to be had despite a tough loss.
This wasn’t a catastrophic loss. It was a measuring-stick game that exposed where Denver still has to be sharper. The Nuggets proved they can hang with OKC. They also proved that against elite competition, mistakes compound quickly.
The Nuggets are going to have a really difficult February. The opponent quality is exceptionally high, and while the Nuggets may get back more reinforcements soon, the chemistry is going to take some time. I expect Denver to continue sustaining some losses before the All-Star break as they attempt to rediscover an elite identity around Nikola Jokic again.
For now, there’s a ways to go before touching the best team in the NBA.