The Denver Nuggets took a 2-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder after a 113-104 overtime win in game 3. Nikola Jokic played as badly as he could have offensively, and the team still found a way to win. That finds the 68-win Thunder in unfamiliar territory and against the ropes. Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC tie this series up at two games a piece heading home, or will the Nuggets take a commanding 3-1 series lead?
Game 3 Review
Game 3 in Denver resembled much of the Nuggets 121-119 Game1 win to steal homecourt. In Game 3, no team had a double-digit lead at any point in the game. Jokic had one of his worst games offensively, shooting 8/25, including 0/10 from three-point range. That was jaw-dropping from this MVP candidate, who shot 41.7% from downtown in the regular season and 35.2% in these playoffs thus far.
Michael Porter Jr. had by far his best game of the series with 21 points and eight rebounds on 7/10 shooting, including 5/6 from three. Aaron Gordon would continue his stellar series with 22 points, 10 in the 4th quarter, and would hit the game-tying three with 27.5 seconds left in regulation. Gordon has been the catalyst for Denver in their wins, averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds in their two wins of the series, and hit the two biggest shots of those games.
For the Thunder’s side of Game 3, the boat starts and ends with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). The MVP favorite would only score 18 points on 7/22 shooting, including 1/6 from three. However, he would grab 13 rebounds and dish out seven assists. SGA has made his name in the clutch all season long, but in this game, he was invisible. In the fourth quarter and overtime of Game 3, Shai would score only three points while shooting 1/8 from the floor, including 1/4 from three and zero shot attempts in overtime. For the MVP favorite to be invisible in the 4th quarter and not attempt a shot in overtime is unacceptable against the Nuggets.
However, his co-stars would step up in a big way. Jalen Williams would score 32 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. That is almost as many points J Dub had scored through the first two games of the series, 24. Despite his inefficiencies, Chet Holmgren would finish game three with 18 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks while shooting 7/19 from the floor. If the Thunder are going to climb back into this series, all their stars must be as efficient as they were in the regular season.
Keys to Denver’s Success In Game 4
It starts and finishes with one person’s name, Nikola Jokic. We know he has the ability to dominate this Oklahoma City team with his size and scoring ability. In Game 1, he dropped 42 points and 22 rebounds. He has been the heartbeat of this team since 2019, and, on the positive side, he can’t play much worse than he did in Game 3. If the Nuggets want to go up 3-1 on OKC, Jokic will show up and show out for the Nuggets in Game 4.
We know the Joker can carry the bulk of the load offensively, but what of his complimentary pieces? Jamal Murray has been big in their wins, averaging 24 points and seven assists in their two wins. From the player who raises his point averages the most from regular to postseason in NBA history, Murray needs to continue to be semi-efficient against the number one defense in OKC. Lastly, Russell Westbrook will be the energizer bunny off the bench that he usually is. Averaging 15 points per game has been great for the Nuggets, as they’ve needed bench scoring all season.
Keys to OKC’s Success In Game 4
If the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to even this series up at two games a piece, it starts with their MVP. Gilgeous-Alexander must return to form. Over the first two games of the series, the averaged 33.5 points and eight assists per game on 58.9% shooting from the floor. SGA has the talent and can take this series against the Nuggets over.
As for his co-stars, Chet Holmgren has been excellent over the past two games, averaging 16.5 points and 13.5 rebounds. Coming off his best game of the series, Jalen Williams needs to stay hot. In their game one loss, he was dreadful with 16 points on 5/20 shooting from the floor. Since then, he’s shooting an efficient 53.1% in games two and three. Isiah Hartenstein has played a good series thus far, scoring double-figures in every game. In Game 3, he scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. However, he would shoot a very inefficient 5/14 from the floor.
Prediction & Final Thoughts
This has the buildup to be one of the best games we have seen this postseason. On one side, we’ve got the three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Their title defense last season slipped through the Nuggets’ fingers after blowing a 20-point lead in game seven of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Denver and Jokic have an excellent opportunity to seize this moment and take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Thunder.
As for OKC, this has been the most dominant team all season long, led by the MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This young team has never been in this position before. Their backs are against the ropes in this game. Falling to a 3-1 series hole has not worked out great historically. Teams that trail 3-1 have a 13-280 record.
I believe the Oklahoma City Thunder will come out of the gate and look to jump out to an early lead over the Nuggets and sprint to the finish line. This game will test the Thunder’s might and will prove to the NBA that this team is ready for the moment. Or will this dominant season be another dominant season by a team that wasn’t ready to win a title? Game 4 between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder will be Sunday, May 11th at 3:30 PM on ABC!
