OKLAHOMA CITY — Of all the teams that could have ended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s unparalleled scoring streak, of all that defenses that could have momentarily halted his immaculate efficiency, you would not have guessed the Denver Nuggets.
But they would have.
“We’ve held him under 20 before,” Christian Braun said, shrugged. “And that was in the playoffs. So we’ve done it before.”
During the streak, in fact. Game 3, round two, 2025. Gilgeous-Alexander played 44 minutes. The game went to overtime. Still, he couldn’t reach his near-automatic 20-point benchmark. Braun and the Nuggets held him to 7-for-22 shooting. He missed 10 shots inside the arc. Oklahoma City was on its way to the championship, but for one night, he was mortal — not a factory-made scoring robot.
One of the most surprising developments of opening week in the NBA was the abrupt ending of Gilgeous-Alexander’s all-time record streak: 141 consecutive 20-point (regular season) games. And that Denver was the team to end it. Yeah, that Denver, the one that has ranked 10th-worst in defensive rating two consecutive years. The Denver with Nikola Jokic protecting the rim against drivers. The Denver that was in OKC last season to witness Gilgeous-Alexander tying the previous record (126), held by Wilt Chamberlain. That Denver.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 on Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and the fearsome Spurs on Tuesday. He stalled out at 17 against the Nuggets on Thursday.
Did Braun, SGA’s primary defender, take pride in ending the streak?
“No,” he said after a 96-84 loss. “I mean, I think it’s good that, as a team, we did a really good job defensively. We hold that team to 96 points, that’s a good job. It was a team effort. But we’ve held him under 20 before. … We obviously play him a ton, and he gets 20 more often than he does not. So it is a good sign that we played good defense.”
Every team looks for silver linings after a season-opening loss. It’s far too early to be consumed by doom and gloom. Denver’s focal point was the defense. Oklahoma City’s 96 points would have been the fifth-fewest any team scored against the Nuggets last season. The Thunder shot 37.9% from the field and 35.6% from deep — an outlier game to some extent, but also a result of Denver forcing the shots it was willing to live with.
“We didn’t really see the fruits of our labor on defense,” Jamal Murray said.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
“It’s a good sign, honestly,” Braun said. “If we can hang our hat on defense, teams are always better that way. … It’s a good thing when we’re talking about offense (struggling). And I know that’ll change. We’ll hit shots.”
Braun has put together a few successful performances against SGA over the years — more than most lead defensive guards in the NBA can say, even if Gilgeous-Alexander has also mixed in some 30-point gems against Braun.
“He’s really good,” the fifth-year Nuggets guard said. “Obviously, you’ve just gotta make it tough on him. He can make any shot. You’ve just gotta get a hand up. … Try to pick him up, touch him a little bit. He’s a really good player.”
The matchup was familiar enough that Braun could share a laugh with the two-time reigning MVP after a reversal of their usual dynamic Thursday. Late in the first half, Braun tried to drive on Gilgeous-Alexander, used his forearm to create separation and buried a step-back 15-foot jumper. Braun is not known for his bag of tricks off the dribble, but this was an impressive display.
One problem: He got hit with an offensive foul call for pushing off. The same call that defenders have long begged officials to make against Gilgeous-Alexander.
“I told him that he taught me that move,” Braun said, laughing, “and of course they call it on me. And actually, the shot went in too, so that’s cool, too. I can’t believe they called that one on me, but it is what it is.”
Gilgeous-Alexander went into halftime with two points and zero buckets from the field. He finally gained traction in the fourth quarter, getting within one 3-pointer of extending his streak. But his team was pulling away. The Nuggets were putting in the bench warmers.
With 1:43 to go and Oklahoma City up by 17, SGA waved the white flag on a 20-piece, subbing himself out. Whether the Nuggets could’ve held him off for another two minutes will remain a mystery.
“I was gonna go out there, and then I saw that they had subbed. So then I was just like, we should sub, too,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I feel like you always treat the game with respect. And god willing, I have many more games to start another streak, so it’s like, it’s not the end of the world.”
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