If the Nuggets do indeed thrive on the adrenaline of a tense game or series, then a 3-1 lead over the Thunder might’ve been too simple for them.
Instead, they’ll have to find a way to win two of the last three games to upset the top seed in the Western Conference, with two of those three games situated in Oklahoma City after Denver’s 92-87 Game 4 loss Sunday.
Jalen Williams made a pair of free throws with a second left to clinch the result, after the 3-point line served as a house of horrors for both teams in a short-rest matinee. Denver was 11 of 45. Oklahoma City was 10 of 41, prevailing despite a 36% shooting day from the field.
In a game often defined by its absence of aesthetics, the rare haymakers thrown by either team felt twice as conclusive. The Nuggets went on a 16-3 run early in the second half, taking their first lead of the afternoon when Aaron Gordon — right on schedule all postseason — had enough time to settle himself with a dribble before punching a wide-open 3.
Denver stretched it out to as many as eight. But the Thunder resisted the wide-eyed and inexperienced label that has followed it around all series, scoring 11 straight early in the fourth while the Nuggets went almost five minutes without a point. Role players Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace got hot for just enough time to apply new pressure to Denver.
The stars remained dim. Nikola Jokic’s 27 points were contained, amassed over 22 shots. He missed a pair of free throws late in the game that could have cut Denver’s deficit to two. Instead, Jalen Williams drove for an easy layup at the other end. That accounted for half of the Thunder wing’s scoring up to that point.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was also kept quiet for most of the game. But if there was one difference in Oklahoma City’s late execution after a lousy Game 3 ending, it was his ability to get to his spots and knock down a couple of key shots, stretching the lead to 83-78. He finished with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting.
Jamal Murray and Christian Braun scored 17 points each for Denver. Gordon assembled a double-double. Denver won Michael Porter Jr.’s minutes by double figures, but his jumper faded against a backdrop of shoulder pain once more.
And in the end, a stunning start caught up with the Nuggets. For a quarter, they seemed determined to write a new chapter in the franchise history books. The Game 4 hosts missed 20 of 22 shots from the field and all 14 attempts from the 3-point line, airballing twice as many shots as they made. Their five turnovers were somehow an after-thought.
It started innocuously. Murray missed an open catch-and-shoot 3 when the Thunder doubled Jokic in the post. Porter pulled up in space when OKC didn’t pick him up during a transition push, but his shot fell short of the rim. Gordon missed a drive-and-kick jumper from the corner, where he’s been lights out. The offense was generating good looks.
But the bricks started to have a contagious effect, until the Nuggets found themselves unwittingly building Denver a new skyscraper. Their eight first-quarter points were, unsurprisingly, the fewest they’ve ever scored in a playoff quarter. In the regular season, they’ve been held to seven or fewer points six times in franchise history.
A landmark 12 minutes deserved a fitting end, and Jokic provided it by unnecessarily launching a 60-foot heave when he had 4.1 seconds to bring the ball up. It took another two minutes for the Nuggets to get to 10 points. It took until the 9:11 mark of the second for them to make their first jump shot of the game — a 15-footer from Gordon. It took 17 tries to sink a 3-pointer. Russell Westbrook was the hero who broke the generational lid on the rim.
And by the grace of the basketball gods — the Nuggets’ defense deserves some credit, too — they were never out of the game throughout the nightmare drought. They trailed by single digits after the first stanza. The deficit never got worse than 23-8. That’s around the time Braun started establishing some offense by sheer force of will, getting to the foul line repeatedly.
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PHOTOS: Denver Nuggets take on OKC Thunder in Game 4 of second-round NBA Playoffs series Is OKC Thunder’s playoff inexperience giving Nuggets an upper hand? David Adelman weighs in With Nikola Jokic the ‘worst player on the court,’ Nuggets find way to beat Thunder anyway Keeler: Aaron Gordon, not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is MVP of Nuggets-Thunder series so far Renck: Michael Porter Jr. may look soft, but no one on Nuggets roster is tougherThe whistle had healing powers. Denver made 17 of 20 free throws in the first half to offset its 8-for-38 clip from the field. Braun battled for his life at both ends to keep his squad within striking distance.
Jokic ended his personal streak of 14 straight misses beyond the arc with the unlikeliest of shots, an off-balance leaner around Jaylin Williams, 0.1 seconds before the break. The Nuggets were down 42-36. Their tenacity in a zone defensive shell had provided hope, if not enough in the end.
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