The Oklahoma City Thunder have the NBA’s No. 1 defense. That didn’t stop Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets for hanging 140 points on them Monday night.
The Nuggets’ dynamic duo combined for 69 points as Denver avenged Sunday’s loss in Oklahoma City with a 140-127 win. With the Lakers’ loss in Brooklyn, the Nuggets moved back into second place, setting up a path to a conference finals battle with the Western Conference’s two most recent top seeds.
It was a difference in approach from the Joker. Sunday, Jokic seemed to focus on being a facilitator, not looking for his own shot. He may have been uncomfortable after hurting his elbow in the first quarter.
Not Monday night. Jokic shot 15-of-20, scoring 35 points with only five free-throw attempts to help him. He finished with eight assists against only one turnover.
Murray turned it up at home as well. Sunday, he was 6-of-17 and scored 17 points. Monday, he was 11-of-22 and 9-of-9 from the foul line. Murray also had zero turnovers, an impressive feat against a Thunder team that forces 17.6 turnovers per game, most in the NBA.
The Nuggets have now split the season series with the 53-12 Thunder. Denver is one of three teams to beat the Thunder multiple times this season, along with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks, who defeated the Thunder three times this season. After beating them in last year’s playoffs. However, the Mavs’ roster has certainly changed a lot since then.
Oklahoma City can be vulnerable for teams with size in the frontcourt and by teams who have dynamic scoring guards. The Nuggets fit the bill, and also have a tremendous home court advantage at altitude in Denver. Getting a win to answer Sunday’s big loss showed the Nuggets’ toughness and gives the Thunder something to worry about come May.
