The Denver Nuggets had been thinking all summer about how bad it would be to lose a seventh game on their home court. Tonight they finally had a chance to put the game behind them. Unfortunately, their opponent was the Oklahoma City Thunder, who may be the best team in the Western Conference. They certainly looked the part, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren looked like real superstars. The Nuggets, meanwhile, shot terrible threes and struggled to find consistency outside of Nikola Jokic (who posted his first triple-double of the season). In the end, it spelled disaster for the home team and the Thunder easily won 102-87.

The game started on a positive note for Denver as Jokic knocked down his first three-point attempt of the season. Neither team had much early shooting success and it remained close with Denver opening up a small lead. Jamal Murray knocked down a few shots while Jokic nearly had an assist or goal on every basket, and they extended the Nuggets' lead to eight, forcing an OKC timeout. Russell Westbrook and Julian Strawther came in, but it was the Thunder who killed all the shots. They went on a 10-1 run capped by a Holmgren and 1. The Nuggets' offense was stodgy even when Jokic was on the ground, and they allowed OKC to take the lead. Denver scored just three points in the final six minutes of the quarter and the Thunder led 31-24 after one.

The 3x MVP does everything in the first quarter 🃏

Thunder Nuggets NOW on TNT pic.twitter.com/zFGBVL8KLw

– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2024

Going into the second quarter, the Nuggets continued to struggle with outside shooting, but found some offense at the rim that kept them in the game. However, the Thunder shot with consistency, and when the lead grew back to eight with more than eight minutes left, Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon returned to the game. Every offensive possession still looked like a chore for Denver even though the starters were back on the field. At the halfway point of the second they were still eight points behind. The Thunder cooled down a bit on offense and the Nuggets had their chances, but constantly shot themselves in the foot with turnovers. Holmgren scored a couple of baskets and SGA showed its mastery in the midfield, keeping Denver from closing the gap. At halftime, the Thunder still had a seven-point lead, 58-51.

RUSS flew in to SGA for rejection ❌ pic.twitter.com/HztuDCeebW

– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 25, 2024

Shai opened the second half with a three-pointer, but the Nuggets responded and got a quick timeout from Mark Daigneault. Denver's frontcourt did most of the damage as Jokic fed Porter and Gordon to take the lead. However, they just couldn't buy a threesome. OKC went on a run with Holmgren and SGA and extended its lead back to nine. Denver's offense was ice cold, but the Thunder failed to capitalize on their chances for several minutes. It remained painful to watch as Holmgren and SGA continued to wreak havoc on the Nuggets. After a huge dunk from Chet, Malone called a timeout and was warned for a technical foul while the Nuggets trailed by fourteen. OKC went on a 12-0 run and extended its lead to 19 points late in the quarter. At the end of the third the score was 85-68.

Chet stands out on both ends 🫣@OGandE Power play of the game pic.twitter.com/qWlze0Xhdx

— OKC THUNDER (@okctunder) October 25, 2024

The substitutes stepped up their defense and scored a few baskets early in the fourth period, but the inability to hit an outside shot remained an issue. Jalen Williams came into the game and Denver seemed to give up. Westbrook eventually hit a three-pointer, but it made little difference. OKC continued to score points through Shai and Holmgren and the lead remained at just under twenty until the end of the quarter. With about three minutes left in the game, Malone brought the substitutes off the bench, but then changed his mind and replaced them during a Nuggets min-run. It didn't take long and with about a minute and a half to go he sat down on the bench and trash time officially began. The Nuggets lose their opener in disheartening fashion, 102-87.

Another block ➡️ Another dunk 🔨 pic.twitter.com/FEGVeaPIjv

— OKC THUNDER (@okctunder) October 25, 2024

Best Matchup: MVP Candidate vs. MVP Candidate

There wasn't much to like about the Nuggets' performance tonight, but Jokic was brilliant as always. He started the season with a triple-double and threw highlight pass after highlight pass. The Nuggets needed him to be a better scorer, but with no one making outside shots, the Thunder doubled every time Joker got the ball. Meanwhile, SGA was unstoppable. He's just so smooth that he scores effortlessly. It didn't matter who Denver tried to defend him with, he got to his spots, knocked down his shots and had an excellent first chapter in his MVP campaign.

There is no other way but to go up with the shooting

If you were worried about Denver shooting three points this season, then it's probably a good time to get your blood pressure checked. From the outside, that was a miserable performance. In the end, the Nuggets shot at a 17.9% shooting percentage and far too many of their misses were open looks from guys they rely on as outside threats, like Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson. It's only one game, but I can't imagine a worse start for the Nuggets on offense.

Chet was dominant, Russ was a rollercoaster

There was an interesting dichotomy between the guys bringing the energy to their respective teams tonight. On the Thunder, that was Holmgren, erasing shots and throwing down big dunks while remaining in control the entire time. That was less the case with Westbrook, the Nuggets spark plug. He certainly had some moments and a few nice blocks himself, but there were also stupid turnovers and questionable shot selection. I guess it's just the fun of driving with Russ. Meanwhile, it looks like Holmgren will pick up right where he left off after an excellent rookie season.