The Oklahoma City Thunder snapped their two-game losing skid after taking down the defending champions Denver Nuggets, 105-100, at the Paycom Center on Thursday (PHL time).
Despite not having star Nikola Jokic due to a lower back ailment, the Nuggets started strong, building a nine-point lead to end the first quarter.
The Thunder, however, found their groove come the second quarter and continued to pounce the Jokic-less Nuggets.
In the fourth quarter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took control of the match, scoring 13 points for the Thunder to keep the pesky Nuggets at bay.
Chet Holmgren then delivered a huge three-pointer with just 22 seconds to go to give the Thunder a four-point lead, which sealed the victory.Spinning to the bank 😵?💫 pic.twitter.com/zT305hAuLq
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 1, 2024
Late game work 👌 pic.twitter.com/0aMgSGftKb
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 1, 2024
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Holmgren added 18 points and 13 rebounds in the win, which pushed OKC (33-15) as the second seed in the Western Conference.
Meanwhile, Denver slides to fourth place with a record of 33-16.