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The last image of Chet Holmgren came with his fingers laced atop his head, his arms held there in shock from the moment the shot fell to his escape down Oklahoma City’s tunnel and out of sight.
Astonishment locked his limbs in place. Of all the ways Monday’s Game 1 could’ve played out, the sequence most cruel to him is what viewers will likely remember. What he’ll remember.
A pair of botched free throws with 9.5 seconds remaining with the Thunder up one. Holmgren’s long pauses, his cheeks puffing with exhalation and the stress of a smoker on his face between each miss. The blink of a trip down for the Nuggets and Aaron Gordon, who drilled what would be the game-winning 3 over Holmgren’s outstretched arm.
Six seconds changed his and the Thunder’s fate.
“I have to be better,” Holmgren told The Oklahoman after a stunning 121-119 Game 1 loss for the Thunder. “I'm not one to shy from accountability. I have to be better. I have to execute better, especially down the stretch. We worked too hard as a collective, and we're too far along in this thing for situations like that to happen.”
That the Thunder’s firm grip on Game 1 could be stripped so quickly left Holmgren frozen. A 14-point lead in a game that saw OKC leading by 11 with less than five minutes to play, its first action in nine days. Squandered.
MUSSATTO: How Russell Westbrook helped steal Game 1 for Nuggets against Thunder in NBA Playoffs
In veteran Alex Caruso’s eyes, Game 1 wasn’t lost in the final 15 seconds. Not with his foul in the backcourt on Gordon late, a play he later noted he could’ve exerted more patience on before fouling. Not with Holmgren’s free throws. Members of the Thunder assured Monday was lost even earlier.
Oklahoma City’s offense ran into a wall — and Nikola Jokic’s stout chest — in the few minutes prior. With 4:31 to play, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — tethered to Jokic by the MVP race — drilled a stepback 3 with Gordon nearby and Nuggets wing Christian Braun underneath him for an 11-point lead, 113-102. He finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on 12-of-26 shooting.
The Thunder scored two field goals the rest of the way: An Isaiah Hartenstein push shot with just over three minutes to play and SGA’s dunk on a sidelines-out-of-bounds play with 11.1 seconds remaining.
Denver’s creep toward upset was a slow burn. Jokic’s touch and finesse, as well as the Nuggets’ second efforts, acted like a candle warmer.
With six more offensive rebounds on the night, the Nuggets scored eight more second-chance points.
For much of Monday’s second half, Jokic teetered on the fence of his sixth and final foul. All the while, coach Mark Daigneault alternated between Holmgren and Hartenstein, each of which collected five fouls, in an effort to avoid the dreadful fate of facing Jokic with just one of the two.
Even the two weren’t enough.
CARLSON: OKC Thunder's collapse vs Nuggets was a disaster in every way. Recovery? It's no easy task
Eighteen of Jokic’s 42 points came in the fourth quarter, connecting on eight of his 10 free-throw attempts in the period while adding 22 rebounds and six assists on the night. And all things considered, OKC’s double teams were effective through a half.
Caruso had largely been a deterrent, acting as a groundhog underneath Jokic’s feet. When Jokic hoped to gracefully turn over his shoulder, Caruso was at his waistband, leaving a “kick me” sign on Jokic’s back before taking off the other way with the ball.
Through 12 minutes, he’d already tallied five steals and at least a few strips that made Jokic throw his arms up in frustration. Through the night, he added 20 points, six assists and five 3s. For a center so omniscient, even the eyes in the back of Jokic’s head couldn’t detect Caruso’s movements.
Had OKC won, Caruso’s winning plays would’ve been atop the list of reasons why. Denver instead compiled a list of its own.
Braun and Gordon’s putbacks. Jokic’s improbable floaters, or the inevitable contact that came with him wading through the lane. Gordon’s defense of Jalen Williams’ drives, finishing Monday with 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting.
Williams scanned the sequences in his head postgame, attempting to conjure an answer for OKC’s presence on the glass. He reached for what seemed to be his best Taurean Prince impression.
“Box out,” he said, demonstrably lifting his arms to reenact a rebound. “Go up with two hands and grab that. Don’t stand and watch. Box out again. And when you go up and you jump, make sure you grab it.”
5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder collapses in Game 1 loss to Denver Nuggets on Aaron Gordon shot
Before Holmgren felt the weight of the world on his bony shoulders, in a game shaved down to a single possession for the final 1:14, the Thunder repeatedly fouled the Nuggets while up three. It meant that Holmgren needed to make both foul shots to best evade an upset.
Daigneault, who reaffirmed his philosophy to foul when up three late postgame, was asked if any part of him wished that stretch went differently.
“I thought we executed the fouls pretty well,” Daigneault said. “Got the ball in bounds pretty well. It didn't go our way tonight, but it's worked out well for us in the past. We'll continue to look at it, maybe learn from it. But I didn't think that's why we lost the game.”
He later added: “I did think the backcourt fouls hurt us. And again, we can learn from that. The fouling up three, that's on me. You know, I think given the foul and getting the foul executed is critical. If there’s something to be learned from that, it's probably giving it too early on my part. But that's not on the players. They're executing what I'm telling them to do.”
Holmgren shrugged at the idea that Denver’s championship mettle played a role in its comeback. For all the players OKC can willingly and confidently thrust into a game, only one likely had the bandwidth to recognize why the Thunder’s decay coincided with the Nuggets’ rise. Why neither nine days rest nor two days of hangover mattered in those final five minutes.
Caruso, a 2020 NBA champion and the only member of the Thunder with true war stories, diagnosed Monday fairly quickly. He seemingly moved on just the same. For as jaw-dropping a close as OKC suffered, he knew even Holmgren’s arms would eventually need to come down to flip the page.
“I don’t want to come off as lighthearted,” Caruso said. “I don’t want to come off as not caring. There's a deep, deep, rooted care factor in this team. And guys want to win, and we want to play deep in the playoffs and win the last game. That's why we're here.
“That being said, it's the first team to four games. They have one and we have zero. So from there, we got to move forward, regroup, see what we can do better, and go get the one on Wednesday.”
More: Jalen Williams honors OKC Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo with 'E.T.' shirt
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder must 'be better' vs Nuggets in NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
Astonishment locked his limbs in place. Of all the ways Monday’s Game 1 could’ve played out, the sequence most cruel to him is what viewers will likely remember. What he’ll remember.
A pair of botched free throws with 9.5 seconds remaining with the Thunder up one. Holmgren’s long pauses, his cheeks puffing with exhalation and the stress of a smoker on his face between each miss. The blink of a trip down for the Nuggets and Aaron Gordon, who drilled what would be the game-winning 3 over Holmgren’s outstretched arm.
Six seconds changed his and the Thunder’s fate.
“I have to be better,” Holmgren told The Oklahoman after a stunning 121-119 Game 1 loss for the Thunder. “I'm not one to shy from accountability. I have to be better. I have to execute better, especially down the stretch. We worked too hard as a collective, and we're too far along in this thing for situations like that to happen.”
That the Thunder’s firm grip on Game 1 could be stripped so quickly left Holmgren frozen. A 14-point lead in a game that saw OKC leading by 11 with less than five minutes to play, its first action in nine days. Squandered.
MUSSATTO: How Russell Westbrook helped steal Game 1 for Nuggets against Thunder in NBA Playoffs
In veteran Alex Caruso’s eyes, Game 1 wasn’t lost in the final 15 seconds. Not with his foul in the backcourt on Gordon late, a play he later noted he could’ve exerted more patience on before fouling. Not with Holmgren’s free throws. Members of the Thunder assured Monday was lost even earlier.
Oklahoma City’s offense ran into a wall — and Nikola Jokic’s stout chest — in the few minutes prior. With 4:31 to play, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — tethered to Jokic by the MVP race — drilled a stepback 3 with Gordon nearby and Nuggets wing Christian Braun underneath him for an 11-point lead, 113-102. He finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on 12-of-26 shooting.
The Thunder scored two field goals the rest of the way: An Isaiah Hartenstein push shot with just over three minutes to play and SGA’s dunk on a sidelines-out-of-bounds play with 11.1 seconds remaining.
Denver’s creep toward upset was a slow burn. Jokic’s touch and finesse, as well as the Nuggets’ second efforts, acted like a candle warmer.
With six more offensive rebounds on the night, the Nuggets scored eight more second-chance points.
For much of Monday’s second half, Jokic teetered on the fence of his sixth and final foul. All the while, coach Mark Daigneault alternated between Holmgren and Hartenstein, each of which collected five fouls, in an effort to avoid the dreadful fate of facing Jokic with just one of the two.
Even the two weren’t enough.
CARLSON: OKC Thunder's collapse vs Nuggets was a disaster in every way. Recovery? It's no easy task
Eighteen of Jokic’s 42 points came in the fourth quarter, connecting on eight of his 10 free-throw attempts in the period while adding 22 rebounds and six assists on the night. And all things considered, OKC’s double teams were effective through a half.
Caruso had largely been a deterrent, acting as a groundhog underneath Jokic’s feet. When Jokic hoped to gracefully turn over his shoulder, Caruso was at his waistband, leaving a “kick me” sign on Jokic’s back before taking off the other way with the ball.
Through 12 minutes, he’d already tallied five steals and at least a few strips that made Jokic throw his arms up in frustration. Through the night, he added 20 points, six assists and five 3s. For a center so omniscient, even the eyes in the back of Jokic’s head couldn’t detect Caruso’s movements.
Had OKC won, Caruso’s winning plays would’ve been atop the list of reasons why. Denver instead compiled a list of its own.
Braun and Gordon’s putbacks. Jokic’s improbable floaters, or the inevitable contact that came with him wading through the lane. Gordon’s defense of Jalen Williams’ drives, finishing Monday with 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting.
Williams scanned the sequences in his head postgame, attempting to conjure an answer for OKC’s presence on the glass. He reached for what seemed to be his best Taurean Prince impression.
“Box out,” he said, demonstrably lifting his arms to reenact a rebound. “Go up with two hands and grab that. Don’t stand and watch. Box out again. And when you go up and you jump, make sure you grab it.”
5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder collapses in Game 1 loss to Denver Nuggets on Aaron Gordon shot
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Before Holmgren felt the weight of the world on his bony shoulders, in a game shaved down to a single possession for the final 1:14, the Thunder repeatedly fouled the Nuggets while up three. It meant that Holmgren needed to make both foul shots to best evade an upset.
Daigneault, who reaffirmed his philosophy to foul when up three late postgame, was asked if any part of him wished that stretch went differently.
“I thought we executed the fouls pretty well,” Daigneault said. “Got the ball in bounds pretty well. It didn't go our way tonight, but it's worked out well for us in the past. We'll continue to look at it, maybe learn from it. But I didn't think that's why we lost the game.”
He later added: “I did think the backcourt fouls hurt us. And again, we can learn from that. The fouling up three, that's on me. You know, I think given the foul and getting the foul executed is critical. If there’s something to be learned from that, it's probably giving it too early on my part. But that's not on the players. They're executing what I'm telling them to do.”
Holmgren shrugged at the idea that Denver’s championship mettle played a role in its comeback. For all the players OKC can willingly and confidently thrust into a game, only one likely had the bandwidth to recognize why the Thunder’s decay coincided with the Nuggets’ rise. Why neither nine days rest nor two days of hangover mattered in those final five minutes.
Caruso, a 2020 NBA champion and the only member of the Thunder with true war stories, diagnosed Monday fairly quickly. He seemingly moved on just the same. For as jaw-dropping a close as OKC suffered, he knew even Holmgren’s arms would eventually need to come down to flip the page.
“I don’t want to come off as lighthearted,” Caruso said. “I don’t want to come off as not caring. There's a deep, deep, rooted care factor in this team. And guys want to win, and we want to play deep in the playoffs and win the last game. That's why we're here.
“That being said, it's the first team to four games. They have one and we have zero. So from there, we got to move forward, regroup, see what we can do better, and go get the one on Wednesday.”
More: Jalen Williams honors OKC Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo with 'E.T.' shirt
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chet Holmgren, OKC Thunder must 'be better' vs Nuggets in NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
