- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 466,359
- Reaction score
- 44
You must be registered for see images
DENVER — Receiving Nikola Jokic's kick-out pass, Aaron Gordon served the dagger for the second time in three games. A baseline mid-ranger jumper rattled in during the final minute of overtime as OKC experienced some serious deja vu. Both from Game 1's loss and last year's playoff exit.
The Oklahoma City Thunder saw their offense dry up when the lights were the brightest in their 113-104 overtime Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets. They now face a 2-1 Round 2 series hole.
As expected, Game 3 was the most dramatic outing between the two heavyweights. The lead tracker resembled a heart monitor. It went up and down throughout the game. Neither led by more than nine points. By halfway through, it was obvious this contest would come down to the final moments.
The Thunder were the first to punch. They held a 28-22 lead after the first quarter. Chet Holmgren was busy early with 11 points in the frame. An encouraging sign considering how slow Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was to start. Surely he'd turn it on eventually.
Alas, they couldn't build on it in the second quarter. The Nuggets hovered around and scored 29 points in the frame. The Thunder entered halftime with a 56-51 lead. That said, it felt like they left meat on the bone. Too many missed open looks and Gilgeous-Alexander's struggles left the door open for Denver.
Against a former championship winner, that's all they needed. The Nuggets eventually crawled back into the game. Michael Porter Jr.'s hot outside shooting helped them tie it up at 69 points apiece with a little under six minutes left in the third frame. Boom, brand new ball game.
Jokic's layup gave Denver the lead for the first time in forever. The Nuggets scored 29 points again in the third frame. Jalen Williams got in a groove and helped the Thunder hold onto an 83-80 lead after the third quarter. This guaranteed a tight finish as the home crowd refused to sit throughout the final frame.
The lead seesawed back and forth. The fourth quarter demonstrated what the NBA playoffs look like at their apex. The world's best players are exchanging highlight-worthy buckets with thousands of fans watching on. Williams was about to pencil his name in Thunder lore as he had a dominant fourth quarter.
Trailing 99-97 with two minutes left, Williams hit the stepback 3-pointer to give the Thunder the 100-99 lead. He added two more points when he drove to the basket and went to the free-throw line. At 102-99 with 1:11 left, OKC was a spot away from nearly controlling the game's fate.
Well, the Thunder got it. Jokic missed a driving layup. Gilgeous-Alexander tried to add another playoff moment to his career when he attempted the mid-range jumper on Christian Braun. Instead, the ball hit the front of the rim. Gordon then tied it back up with a high-leverage corner 3-pointer. Sounds familiar?
Gilgeous-Alexander went for the kill shot but missed on a floater with two seconds left. The Thunder let out a sigh of relief when Jokic missed a desperation 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded. For just the second time this season, OKC would play an overtime.
Let's just say it didn't go well. The Thunder offense fell apart. They couldn't generate any quality looks. Meanwhile, the Nuggets scored the first seven points to put this one away. In total, OKC was outscored 11-2 in the final five minutes as Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't crack Denver's defense and Williams seldom saw the ball.
The Thunder shot 39% from the field and went 9-of-35 (25.7%) from 3. They shot 15-of-22 on free throws. They had 24 assists on 40 baskets. Four Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an ugly 18 points on 22 shot attempts. Williams' 32-point masterpiece was wasted away. Holmgren had an 18-point double-double. Isaiah Hartenstein also had a 10-point double-double.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets shot 46% from the field and went 16-of-40 (40%) from 3. They shot 19-of-24 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 39 baskets. Four Nuggets players scored double-digit points.
Jokic struggled with 20 points on 8-of-25 shooting, 16 rebounds and six assists. Jamal Murray broke out with an efficient 27 points and eight assists. Gordon had 22 points and eight rebounds. Porter Jr. scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Much like last year's playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Thunder's offense fell apart in crunch time. Except this time, Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't bail them out. They only scored 21 points in the final 17 minutes. They went scoreless for the final 1:11 in regulation.
Much like Game 1, this had a Thunder win written all over it. They won the possession battle and attempted 19 more shots than Denver. They led for most of the night. Jokic had one of his worst playoff performances ever. Instead, the Nuggets snatched a win from the jaws of defeat.
Sometimes that's how these playoff series play out. The Thunder have played like the better team for most of these first three games, but the Nuggets have done just enough to hang around and step up in the final moments. Meanwhile, OKC's lack of crunch-time experience is exposed in front of the entire NBA world.
The Thunder must win Game 4. The playoff series is on the line. If they can't, there's a strong possibility the Nuggets cruise by pretty easily. But if they can, they get homecourt advantage back in a Round 2 matchup that likely goes to a Game 7.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: F-minus
You must be registered for see images
As the final buzzer sounded, all Gilgeous-Alexander could do was smile. He knows what's ahead. This upcoming newscycle will not be kind to him and justifiably so. As his teammates did just enough to hang around through the first three quarters, the MVP candidate had one of the worst stretches of his career.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting, 13 rebounds and seven assists. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and went 3-of-5 on free throws. He also had two steals.
All those numbers across the board are well below his standards. Gilgeous-Alexander's jumper was off-kilter and he abandoned his bread and butter of drives to the basket. The Nuggets' funky zone defense had him scrambling for solutions he never discovered.
It didn't look any worse than in the fourth quarter and overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander had three points on eight shot attempts in the final frame. As the Thunder panicked in the halfcourt, he tried to go isolation-heavy from the perimeter and didn't have the juice for it.
What's even worse was the overtime. Gifted the opportunity to win a tight playoff game, Gilgeous-Alexander didn't even attempt a shot in the five minutes. Instead, he saw his squad slip a winnable game through their fingers. He disappeared in the background.
Just an awful performance. No way around it. Gilgeous-Alexander was given time by his teammates to show up. Instead, he fell flat on his face as the Denver crowd roared on their squad in the pivotal Game 3. It's now-or-never time for Game 4.
for 
Jalen Williams: A-plus
You must be registered for see images attach
Swishing in a catch-and-shoot outside look, it looked like the Thunder were on the verge of their All-Star player carrying them to a close win, thanks to a monster fourth quarter. Just not the All-Star player they likely would've guessed.
In the best playoff game of his career, Williams almost carried the Thunder to the finish line. He totaled 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting, five assists and three rebounds. He shot 3-of-7 from 3 and went 7-of-8 on free throws.
Throw the ugly result out the window. Williams shushed any critics of his after two so-so games against the Nuggets. On the court with a three-time MVP winner and this year's probable MVP winner, the 24-year-old was the best player at Ball Arena on Friday.
In one of his best career stretches, Williams had one of his best fourth-quarter takeovers. He scored 16 points with acrobatic drives to the basket and unreal self-created jumpers as the Thunder's offense stalled. A big-time 3-pointer pushed OKC's lead to 100-99 with 1:50 left.
Williams then swished in both free-throw attempts to make it a 102-99 game. And that was it from the Thunder for the rest of regulation. Nobody else could score. In overtime, he was scoreless and only took two shot attempts as OKC's offense froze up.
What a waste of a masterpiece. Williams did enough to secure this win. Just a couple more buckets by Gilgeous-Alexander could've put this high up there in all-time OKC playoff performances. Instead, it'll join Alex Caruso's Game 1 in the Hall of Vain.
Chet Holmgren: C
You must be registered for see images
If you were to describe Holmgren's career with one game, this one is the perfect reference. A lot early on, but not enough late. The 24-year-old destroyed Denver's paint defense early on but couldn't do much for the final three quarters.
The Thunder needed somebody else to step up besides Williams. It could've been Holmgren, but also faded into the background. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting, 16 rebounds and three blocks. He shot 1-of-6 from 3 and went 3-of-4 on free throws.
Everybody who doubted the Thunder could make a serious title push because of their youth and inexperience was validated in Game 3. As the possessions' importance multiplied tenfold, players like Holmgren couldn't get a much-needed bucket as he was stood up at the rim.
Holmgren disappeared late with just two points in the fourth quarter and overtime. That's happened too many times during his OKC tenure. And happened again at the season's biggest moment.
Dub throws it upChet throws it down pic.twitter.com/ckQinQJmS0
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 10, 2025
Isaiah Hartenstein: C
You must be registered for see images
Funneled the ball three times, all of Hartenstein's patented floaters missed. Embarassingly bad, too. Add him to the long list of Thunder players who shrank at the biggest moments of an important Game 3.
At the biggest moments, the Nuggets were fine with Hartenstein attempted most of the Thunder's looks in overtime. That's how bad their halfcourt offense derailed in crunch time as they froze up in the final moments of a back-and-forth game.
Hartenstein finished with 10 points on 5-of-14 shooting, 10 rebounds and four assists. He had a block and a steal.
The Thunder need better production from Hartenstein. To be inefficient inside the paint was another disadvantage they couldn't overcome in this headache-filled loss. The offense was at its worst. The seven-footer's struggles were another cut in OKC's death by a thousand papercuts.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder freeze up in 114-103 OT Game 3 loss to Nuggets
Continue reading...
