The Oklahoma City Thunder finished up their All-Star break and came back home to a big matchup against the Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets currently are second place in the Western Conference and OKC wanted to prove they can compete with the best. Both teams were very competitive throughout the game and it came down to making shots and ball security. The Thunder were able to use the three-guard lineup to throw a wrench in the Nuggets plans. Billy Donovan had the advantage tonight with the lineup of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schröder. When the Thunder plays with that lineup they have ball handlers and playmakers that are looking for that extra pass. Tonight OKC was able to use the quickness and playmaking against the guard play of Jamal Murray and Monte Morris. The first half didn’t go as planned for Chris Paul as he only finished with 9 points in the first half but he continued to encourage his team. In the second half of the game that’s when CP3 showed up in a big way hitting highly contested shots against the defense. Chris Paul finished with 29 points on the night and it didn’t matter who was guarding the 35-year-old he was lights out. When Paul gets his jumper going in while being able to attack he will have you on your heels all night. Chris Paul was able to use the switches to get mismatches with Jokic where his quickness was on full display. CP3 shot 11-17 from the field and was able to pick his spots wisely throughout the night. No one on the Nuggets team was able to keep up with Chris Paul on the night in that second half.
On the night this was one of the most complete games from the Thunder as they had 7 players in double figures tonight. When the Thunder gets this type of production from their other players this team is very hard to beat. Steven Adams had a huge game tonight against Jokic in the paint as they battled all night. Steven Adams finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds on the evening. It seemed as though Steven had the whole package working tonight as he was able to dominate in the paint. Adams had the flip shot working and he also was able to go 5-6 from the free-throw line. When Adams has his whole game on full display it doesn’t matter what anyone does because he’s that strong. Shai and Dennis both combined for 22 points on the night. It was a quiet night for both of them combined but the Thunder still were able to come out on top with the win. That just shows how good this team really is especially when the team doesn’t play at their full potential they can still win.
The Nuggets played a great game but just couldn’t stop the Thunder late down the stretch. On the night the Nuggets leaned on Nikola Jokic as he finished with a game-high 32 points. Jokic showed exactly why he’s an all-star in this league as he was able to beat the Thunder inside and out. Jokic’s game is very skilled and he was able to take Steven Adams outside his comfort zone a couple of times beyond that 3 point line. The Thunder made it a true effort to try to limit Jokic’s offensive touches but it didn’t work out. One thing that did work was the fact that the Thunder played very good perimeter defense, especially at the 3 point line. The Thunder were able to hold them to 22% from the 3 point line. Oklahoma City was able to shut down players on the Nuggets as they only had Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Nikola Jokic lead the scoring. It’s a clear fact that if you’re going to try to beat the Thunder it needs to be a full team effort. The Thunder defense has stepped up and it carried over to their first game back from the all-star break. The Nuggets weren’t able to get any good looks down the stretch as the Thunder made the defensive adjustments. The Thunder will be hosting the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday as they try to get to 35 wins on the season.
Photo Credit: Zach Beeker/Getty Images
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