The Denver Nuggets lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-100 on Wednesday night in what was a fun game defensively but ultimately a loss.

The Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic on Wednesday, the superstar center dealing with low back pain. Denver decided to hold him out for precautionary reasons and deployed a small ball lineup instead that featured Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter, Peyton Watson, and Aaron Gordon. It was a nice preview of a playoff lineup that Denver hasn’t used often this season, and what better team to deploy it against than the smaller Oklahoma City Thunder?

Denver got off to a great start in this one, hitting their outside shots and guarding the Thunder very well defensively. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled initially but picked it up as the game went along. Still, the theory of the practice for Denver was good, and Watson in particular made a nice impact in the first half. Denver’s defense held the Thunder to just 44 first half points.

OKC picked it up in the third quarter, and their shooters off the bench ultimately changed the game. All four of Jaylin Williams, Aaron Wiggins, Vasalije Micic, and Cason Wallace made a three. Chet Holmgren and SGA both saved some of their makes for the second half as well. It was a nice all-around effort from the Thunder to break Denver’s defense by hitting the open kickout threes and grab occasional offensive rebounds.

Denver’s didn’t have the intensity necessary to match that energy from the game. Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, and Justin Holiday battled, but they made occasional mistakes. The real culprit was Zeke Nnaji, who played tonight in what should have been an advantageous matchup for him against a smaller OKC roster. Unfortunately, Nnaji struggled a lot, and the Nuggets were minus-12 in his nine minutes in a game they lost by five points.

 Jamal Murray struggled to break free at times from the OKC pressure. Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Kenrich Williams, and Aaron Wiggins took turns guarding him for 94 feet. The Thunder often blitzed him as well, and Murray had to work with what he could. Though the scoring was down in the second half, he set up Gordon and KCP frequently, giving them opportunities to keep Denver in it.

Gordon in particular was mostly excellent tonight. He made fewer shots than one might want, but he was a beast on the boards, blocked plenty of shots, and was dishing the rock in both transition and halfcourt settings. It was a great representation of Jokic’s game and it allowed Denver to stay in it until the very end.

 Unfortunately, Denver just didn’t have enough winning plays at the end. The Thunder collected an offensive rebound late when up just one point, kicked the ball to a wide open Holmgren, who made the clutch three. SGA drew enough fouls and made enough shots to close out the game as well, and his ability to draw attention freed up other players to make plays.

It’s tough to know whether the Nuggets would have won this game with Jokic, because the Thunder would have played a decidedly different game plan. For what it’s worth though, this was a great approximation of what the Nuggets may do in the non-Jokic minutes in the playoffs. The Murray-Gordon pick and roll was a nice weapon for Denver, and if the Nuggets have enough shooters around those two in the middle of the floor, then the Nuggets should be just fine when it comes to a playoff rotation.

Still, this was a tough one to lose. Denver needed this game for seeding and tiebreaker reasons. Denver now drops to 1-3 head-to-head vs OKC. They’re also just 2-5 in the division, which could mean a great deal in tiebreaker scenarios in April. The Nuggets will have an upward climb in the latter half of the season, but they no longer have to face the Thunder for the rest of the regular season.

That’s probably a good thing, because OKC’s really, really good. They’re a threat in the West and a threat to Denver’s repeat chances.

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