DENVER — Scrambling to the corner, Jamal Murray found Aaron Gordon for the wide-open outside look. Chet Holmgren tried his best with a late closeout, but it wasn’t enough as he swished in the attempt in the final seconds to force overtime. Talk about 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.

“It’s obviously lousy to lose but you can take a lot away and be a team that’s improving through the series. You can’t let the outcome of the games distract you from that process because that’s what will drive the next outcome,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we did a lot of good things. A lot of good things on Jokic. It was a really hard-fought game by both teams. It wasn’t an easy game for anybody. I thought we did some good things on him.”

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 throw a 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 around 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.

On their next look, 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 exchanged highlight-worthy buckets with millions of fans watching on like gladiators in ancient Rome. 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 stop 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 that everybody inside Ball Arena knew would go in. 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 session.

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. They only made two field goals in the final nine minutes.

Just an unacceptable level of NBA offense. After being one of the best offenses this season, the Thunder bogged down and saw little off-ball movement. Instead, it devolved into Gilgeous-Alexander trying to carry his team to the finish line with unreal shot-making that wasn’t there.

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 has been exposed in front of the entire NBA world twice already.

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.

“What I would say is we are in the process of becoming a great team. We’ve checked a lot of boxes in that process. And one thing that it takes to be a great team is you get taken to the limit in the playoffs. You’ve got a rise to the challenges that you’re confronted with,” Daigneault said. “This team’s made a habit of doing that repeatedly. I have full confidence we’ll continue to do that, but we have to embrace what this is. It’s the playoffs.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: F-minus

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. 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 but didn’t have the juice for it.

What’s even worse was the overtime period. 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.

“A few of those shots felt good. More than a few. They didn’t go in, obviously. But it ultimately felt like a lot of settling for jump shots. The consistency of jump shots always go up and down. You get hot some nights, some nights you miss. The most reliable thing is the paint and the rim,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on his fourth quarter and overtime. “I don’t think I did a good enough job of getting to that late in the game. There’s probably vary reasons why and myself and the rest of the team, we’ll figure out why for the next situation. But I for sure could’ve been better.”

As Thunder fans genuinely criticized Gilgeous-Alexander for the first time in months, the MVP candidate said the ball being in his hands late despite being cold while Williams played off-ball despite being hot is a decision he has to live with. The logic is sound on paper, but playing it by the ear in this game could’ve yielded better results.

“You live or die by your decision. Tonight, I died by my decision. It comes with the game. I’ve been in a position and made tough shots and got a pat on the back after the game. I’m willing to take it on the chest when I don’t make the right play or miss the right shot or whatever it is,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It comes with the game. It comes with the territory.”

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.

The Denver crowd celebrated a close playoff win that likely hospitalized a few of their fans from the high stress. Gilgeous-Alexander could only crack a smile as he left the floor in the immediate aftermath. A chaotic postgame scene saw the MVP candidate hear Nuggets fans troll him on the way out.

“Some fans were taunting me. And I know how the game goes. I know how life is. It’s easy to talk when you’re up, and I don’t ever want to show them that I’m defeated or mad or anything like that. Nothing’s written. The series isn’t over,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We have a lot to be optimistic about. I didn’t perform down the stretch but I have an opportunity the next game and the next game after that to make up for it.”

Jalen Williams: A-plus

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 after a busy fourth quarter with elite shot-making. 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 an important win. 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 signature fourth-quarter takeovers where the basket was likely the size of the sea to him. 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 with 1:11 left. 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.

With everybody upset about this avoidable loss, not giving Williams more touches in the final five minutes was the biggest criticism most people latched onto. That happens when your MVP candidate is in superhero mode and fails to carry them to a crucial win.

“We can look at it but those guys have a great chemistry on the court together and find a nice blend. We’re not going to push the same button repeatedly. A lot of that stuff happens on the flow,” Daigneault said about Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams. “That’s where as a team, you got to have trust. You got to work together and we made a habit of that all year.”

Despite fans backing him up, Williams said he loved the late-game process. He didn’t mind the lack of looks. On the road in overtime in a playoff environment, you want your MVP candidate to have the ball in his hands and not become a decoy down the stretch.

“We have the best closer in the NBA and he was getting to spots that we wanted him to get to and shoot the ball. If I wanted to go force a shot, obviously I can but we have other talented guys on the team,” Williams said. “I don’t even think I shot one shot in that. I turned the ball over twice. Those are opportunities to score and create for others, too. I have my opportunities. I’m never gonna sit up here and complain about touches or stuff like that. I have the ball a lot.”

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.

“As a team, we know this s–t’s not easy. It’s the playoffs, bro. We’re playing against a team that’s very good that’s won at a high rate. I think we’ve done a good job at understanding it’s going to test our conviction,” Williams said about Game 4. “Not everything is all sunshine and rainbows. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs through and it’s about how you win these days in between. I think that’s what makes a really good team.”

Chet Holmgren: C

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 23-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 he 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.

Early on, it appeared Holmgren would have a breakout game similar to what he did at Denver in OKC’s season opener back in October. He had 11 points in the first quarter and was finishing over several Nuggets defenders at the basket for easy layups. But that was about it for the seven-footer.

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 that happened again at the season’s biggest moment. You can’t survive when four of your five starters fail to show up in a playoff game. The Thunder’s rich depth suddenly crumbled in crunch time.

“We played aggressive. I feel like it was bigger than just us two, though. As a team, really trusted on each other, trusted to make the right play and trusted the next guy to do the same,” Holmgren said. “It led to good plays for us. When we do that and pair it with aggression, we just got to continue to do that. We got to be able to do that for 48 minutes.”

Isaiah Hartenstein: C

Funneled the ball three times in overtime, all of Hartenstein’s patented floaters missed. Embarassingly bad, too. That’s how bad OKC’s offense got down the stretch as it turned over every rock for possible answers. Add him to the long list of Thunder players who shrank in an important Game 3.

At the biggest moments, the Nuggets were fine with the looks they conceded as Hartenstein attempted most of the Thunder’s looks in overtime. That’s how awful their halfcourt offense derailed in the final moments as they froze up and were the first to blink in 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. He racked up four fouls as this was the best the Thunder have done to shut down Jokic. A rare silver lining in a putrid performance.

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.

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