The Denver Nuggets ran out of gas in Game 4, losing 92-87 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in one of the ugliest first halves the Nuggets have ever played offensively.
Here’s the Notes from Game 4:
First Quarter:
- This was the ugliest first quarter I have ever have the privilege to attend. Both teams looked exhausted and the Nuggets literally could not make a jump shot
- The only thing keeping Denver in this game was their level of defense, but OKC was also missing pretty badly
- Porter getting open shots repeatedly and missing them all
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned two pretty soft calls in a game and series where the physicality has been extremely high
- Horrible decisions, poor finishing around the rim. The Nuggets had nothing to give. Eight points is actually an insane total
Nuggets trail 17-8 after first quarter.
Nuggets first quarter shot chart
Second Quarter:
- Denver’s turnover issues and outside shooting continue to hurt them
- OKC did a poor job of defending without fouling and put Denver in the bonus early
- Christian Braun in particular put his head down to get to the lane consistently. SGA nearly undercut him in a flagrant way on one such possession
- Jokic got a three on a pump fake and step through right before the buzzer, his first jumper in a long time
- Nuggets attempted 20 free throws in the first half, the only thing really keeping them close
Nuggets trail 42-36 at halftime.
Third Quarter:
- Nuggets force some stops early and Jokic hit another jumper to help close the gap
- Denver’s offense finally seeing some shots go down, and it’s a spiral
- Christian Braun big three off a kick-out, then Aaron Gordon hits a massive three to give Denver a 53-52 with 6:42 left in the quarter
- Nuggets momentum rolling now. Jamal Murray hit a big three and the Thunder take another timeout to stem the tide
- Lu Dort was a detriment to the OKC offense. They needed Alex Caruso out there and he closed the fourth quarter too
- Amazing defensive possession from Russell Westbrook as the Nuggets finish the third quarter on a high note
Nuggets lead 69-63 after third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
- Some clutch shotmaking from Aaron Wiggins on open threes keeping OKC close
- 9-4 run from OKC without Jokic on the floor, including an And-1 and two open three-pointers
- Nuggets losing the lead with some bad offense as OKC generate better looks more consistently
- SGA settling back in a bit making some shots and getting to the line
- Denver’s offense generating decent looks but Jokic in particular not converting at high enough level, every kickout three has also been missed
- Three missed free throws between Jokic and Gordon
- Tired legs setting in for Denver, and OKC got enough shooting from their bench to make up for poor starter shooting
Nuggets lose 92-87 vs Oklahoma City Thunder.
Short Takeaway
Denver didn’t have the legs at the beginning of this game. It was clear from the way they airballed about five times in the first quarter. Eventually, they settled in and found a way to dig themselves out of the hole and take a lead, but it took a lot of effort to do so. After using their energy and shotmaking up in the second and third quarter, they hit a wall in the fourth and simply couldn’t recover.
Give credit to the Thunder. They’re a mentally tough team with a bit of extra juice on their bench. 36 bench points for OKC in a game they scored 92 points and won by five is a major testament to that depth. The Nuggets got just eight points from Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson today on 3-of-15 from the field, and Julian Strawther didn’t attempt a shot in his five minutes.
Denver’s put a lot of pressure on their starters to get the job done. Nobody shot efficiently except Aaron Gordon, and the level of defensive intensity slipped at the end of the game when Denver ran out of gas. Porter scoring three points on 1-of-7 from the field and 0-of-5 from three was bad.
But truly, the answer comes back to Jokic. In a game where the rest of the team is struggling, it’s his job to pick them up in these situations. It’s why he’s the best player in the world. it’s why the Nuggets put so much pressure on him, because he delivers. Tonight, he didn’t. He made better decisions with the basketball, but just three assists, shooting 7-of-22 from the field, and missing two clutch free throws down the stretch. The Nuggets needed more, and they didn’t get it.
Can Denver bounce back on the road? I don’t know. They aren’t going to be magically more rested, but perhaps the matinee start allows them to get a few extra hours of rest before Tuesday night’s game in OKC.
Final Rotations
