The Denver Nuggets lost Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in an aggressively futile effort 149-106. The 87 points the Thunder scored in the first half were tied for the most of any playoff team in NBA history.
Denver’s defensive effort and execution simply weren’t present to the degree that they needed to be. The Thunder generated open shots at will, and when the shots weren’t wide open, it was because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was hitting contested shots or the Thunder simply got to the free throw line. The Thunder shot 56% from the field, 45% from the three-point line, and nearly 92% from the free throw line, going 33-of-36 from the charity stripe. SGA himself scored 34 points on 11-of-13 from the field and 11-of-11 from the free throw line. The Nuggets had no answer for the soon to be MVP winner.
It was simply an abysmal level of effort and execution put forth by the Nuggets in a playoff situation. Fortunately for Denver, it was a level of effort the Nuggets could afford to give because they took Game 1 in a surprising effort.
Nikola Jokic fouled out late in the third quarter after a sequence of 50-50 calls went against him, with multiple offensive fouls being drawn by Thunder players falling over. While Jokic himself attempted just five free throws amidst a thicket of Thunder limbs and bodies, the playoff whistle was far more sensitive in this matchup in favor of the Thunder. That obviously wasn’t the reason for Denver’s loss, but it can partially explain Jokic’s night. He had just 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a tough night for the entire team around him.
As a team, the Nuggets committed 20 turnovers and shot extremely poorly inside the arc. While the Nuggets shot 15-of-37 from three-point range (40.5%) they shot just 18-of-50 from two-point range (36%) which was a credit to OKC’s hounding defense and ability to disrupt Denver’s scoring. Jokic shot just 4-of-12 on two-pointers which is extremely abnormal for him. Aaron Gordon shot 1-of-9 on twos while Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Michael Porter Jr. combined to shoot 1-of-8 on twos. It was an absurdly poor night for Denver’s starters.
Russell Westbrook did some good things with 19 points and five assists off the bench. He was also susceptible to some of Denver’s issues, but not nearly so detrimentally as the starters. The problem for Denver is that when the starters don’t have the answers, their only responses are Westbrook and Peyton Watson, who was fine but also had a lot of his production in garbage time.
At this point, if the starters aren’t good for Denver, the Nuggets’ winning chances are dead on arrival. End of story. They didn’t have it in Game 2, and the game was over by the end of the first quarter.
Is such a blowout justifiable?
The Nuggets of course earned a surprising Game 1 win and were able to change their tone about tonight. Had Denver lost Game 1, I would have expected a much more concerted effort and level of urgency. That simply wasn’t the case after Denver won. Coming off a seven-game series and winning Game 1, the Nuggets need to pick and choose when they’re going to go hard against an elite team. Game 2 was certainly not the right time for them to go all out again.
And yet, it was a 43-point blowout loss, a pretty egregious effort and level of execution. There were a variety of factors that made the margin so large, but it’s not encouraging to see the Nuggets have to scrap and claw for a win and then get blown out by 40 points the moment they take their foot off the gas. Is it tenable to win all of the close games and allow a blowout every now and then? We will see.
Game 3 will be big for the Nuggets. Can they restore order with a better, more consistent effort across the board? The shooting and finishing around the rim is one factor. The turnovers and decision making is another. The defensive effort and execution is a third. If the Nuggets are going to bounce back and win Game 3, it will be because they hit first and didn’t allow the Thunder to dictate what physicality is allowed and what is not.
Overall, going back to Denver with a 1-1 record isn’t a bad thing. If the Nuggets get at least one of Game 3 or 4, they’re still alive for the series. Winning both would be a major statement. Winning neither would mean a desperate situation. The Nuggets have found a way to dig deep and stay resilient before. We will see what they have in store after an ugly Game 2 loss.
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Denver Nuggets waxed in Game 2 blowout vs Oklahoma City Thunder Mile High Sports.
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