{"id":22849,"date":"2025-05-10T06:59:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T06:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/22849\/"},"modified":"2025-05-10T06:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T06:59:08","slug":"aaron-gordon-denver-nuggets-beat-okc-thunder-in-ot-for-game-3-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/22849\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets beat OKC Thunder in OT for Game 3 win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aaron Gordon<\/a> made a late 3-pointer to force overtime and it was all Denver Nuggets<\/a> from there in a 113-104 win<\/a> over the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals<\/a> at Ball Arena in Denver.<\/p>\n

Top-seeded OKC, playing two nights after a 43-point win, now finds itself in a 2-1 hole in the NBA Playoffs<\/a> against a Denver team with a championship pedigree.<\/p>\n

The Thunder made just one basket in overtime, a Chet Holmgren<\/a> dunk when the offense yet again stagnated in the clutch.<\/p>\n

Jamal Murray<\/a> scored a team-high 27 points for the Nuggets, while Gordon added 22 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 21, despite playing through a shoulder injury.<\/p>\n

Nikola Jokic<\/a> scored 20 points on just 8-for-25 shooting, but he added 16 rebounds.<\/p>\n

Jalen Williams had his best game of the series yet for\u00a0the Thunder, shooting 11-for-21 from the field for 32 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> only had 18 points on 7-for-22 shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Thunder only shot 38.5% from the field (40-for-104) and 25.7% (9-for-35) on 3-pointers.<\/p>\n

Game 4 is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Ball Arena.<\/p>\n

REQUIRED READING: OKC Thunder stumbles late in Game 3 OT loss vs Aaron Gordon, Nuggets in NBA Playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

Thunder vs Nuggets live score updates in Game 3 of NBA Playoffs<\/p>\n

5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder can’t take reins of series vs Nuggets, falling into 2-1 hole<\/a><\/p>\n

Nikola Jokic missed a potential game-winner, so we’re heading to overtime.<\/p>\n

Jokic misses his 10th 3. Daigneault wants a timeout. All tied up at 97 with 3:18 to go. OKC offense has been best with the ball in JDub\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, held to five points at halftime, scored 10 points in the third quarter on 4-of-6 shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Nuggets chipped into the Thunder\u2019s lead by trading twos for threes. OKC is 6-of-24 from deep compared to Denver\u2019s 12-of-28 3-point shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Thunder continues to make life difficult for Nikola Jokic, who\u2019s 5-of-17 from the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Game 3 will come down to the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

\u2014Joe Mussatto, Columnist<\/p>\n

More: Thunder vs Nuggets: Mark Daigneault addresses officiating before Game 3 in NBA Playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

Denver takes its first lead of the second half with Jokic scoring over SGA on a cross match. Nuggets are 11-23 (47.8%!!!) from 3. Thunder couldn\u2019t be having a worse game out there, just 4-21.<\/p>\n

The Nuggets are looking for answers on defense, throwing a decent amount of zone at the Thunder.<\/p>\n

But as it turns out, Denver is going to have to look for answers for Oklahoma City\u2019s defense, too. The Thunder has been tough, as always, on defense, coming up with three steals and three blocks and forcing the Nuggets into seven turnovers.<\/p>\n

But here may be the most amazing defensive stat: The Thunder hasn\u2019t allowed the Nuggets a single offensive rebound.<\/p>\n

The Thunder has been led by Chet Holmgren, who has a team-high 16 points. As good as he was in Game 2, the Thunder big man has been even better in Game 3, adding seven rebounds and one block to his totals.<\/p>\n

But even as the Thunder takes a five-point lead into halftime, it does so without much scoring impact from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He only has five points in the first half.<\/p>\n

Fellow MVP candidate Nikola Jokic has managed only eight points.<\/p>\n

The Nuggets are led by Michael Porter Jr., who has 15 points. After going 3 of 18 from floor in the first two games combined, he is 5 of 6.<\/p>\n

\u2014Jenni Carlson, Columnist<\/p>\n

It’s 56-51 Thunder at half. Kept things stable despite losing the non-Jokic minutes. Joker is 1\/6 on non-paint shots. SGA, 2 for 8, ain\u2019t shooting so hot either. Denver shooting 41.2% from 3 (OKC is 22.2%) but this is staggering: board count is 29-20 Thunder, with 9 OREB to DEN\u2019s 0.<\/p>\n

\u2014Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer<\/p>\n

Michael Porter Jr. hit the brakes, causing his sneakers to screech as they slid across the Ball Arena floor.<\/p>\n

The Denver forward wasn’t expecting a drive as he closed out on Lu Dort in the corner, but that’s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n

Dort dribbled past the off-balanced Porter with a burst of speed. He then dished it off to Isaiah Hartenstein, who sank his trusty push shot from inside 10 feet.<\/p>\n

On a night when Denver began the game with a zone defense, OKC broke it with ease. The Thunder attacked the rim at will and racked up 14 points in the paint during the first quarter alone.<\/p>\n

Chet Holmgren led the way with 11 points and six rebounds. Jalen Williams added five points and four assists.<\/p>\n

\u2014Justin Martinez, Staff writer<\/p>\n

The narrative shifted underneath Oklahoma City overnight.\u00a0The team that was among the league leaders in fouls committed and among the league\u2019s worst in free throw rate has been deemed by many as having been too physical. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon said Wednesday that the Thunder is \u201cfouling. Point blank, period.\u201d\u00a0Asked if he was bracing for a shift in what Friday\u2019s crew allowed physically, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault attempted to take air out of the narrative.\u00a0\u201cI know that’s been a story to this point, and teams use the media to try to gain an edge in the playoffs,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the way we’re looking at it is these are the best officials in the league. If they’re influenced by that, then there’s a problem. They shouldn’t be working the game. We trust that they’re going to go out there call the game fairly and consistently.\u201c<\/p>\n

\u2014Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer<\/p>\n

David Adelman was asked how he prepares his screeners for the way Lu Dort draws fouls: \u201cI mean, there’s a lot of guys that are foul artists on both ends. I’m not concerned about if he’s gonna get one a game or whatever it is. You just hope that if they’re calling that, maybe they’ll take a look at how he’s guarding them all. There’s two sides to that. There’s the illegal screen part of it, and there’s the holding, grabbing part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer<\/p>\n

When you’re nicknamed Joker, you might as well dress the part.<\/p>\n

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic arrived at Ball Arena looking like Heath Ledger in the 2008 classic film, “The Dark Knight.”<\/p>\n

What time is Thunder vs Nuggets NBA game tonight?Date:\u00a0Friday, May 9Time:\u00a09 p.m. CTWhere:\u00a0Ball Arena in Denver<\/p>\n

The Thunder vs. Nuggets game starts at 9 p.m. CT Friday from Ball Arena in Denver.<\/p>\n

More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder ‘came out desperate’ to fuel Game 2 rout of Nuggets<\/a><\/p>\n

What channel is Thunder vs Nuggets<\/a> on tonight in NBA Playoffs?<\/p>\n

Game 3 of the Thunder-Nuggets series will be broadcast on ESPN. It can be streamed on ESPN+.<\/p>\n

MUSSATTO: Thunder did what Celtics and Cavaliers failed to do in NBA Playoffs. Win Game 2.<\/a><\/p>\n

Best-of-seven series. All times are Central Time (CT)<\/p>\n

CARLSON: How Jaylin Williams foiled Nikola Jokic and set tone for Thunder rout vs Nuggets in Game 2<\/a><\/p>\n

Thunder vs. Nuggets betting odds<\/p>\n

Odds via\u00a0BetMGM<\/a>\u00a0as of Thursday, May 8<\/p>\n

Odds:\u00a0Thunder by 4.5<\/p>\n

Over\/under:\u00a0233.5<\/p>\n

Moneyline:\u00a0OKC -210 | Denver +170<\/p>\n

GAME 2: OKC Thunder demolishes Nuggets in worst night of Nikola Jokic’s career | 5 takeaways<\/a><\/p>\n

Thunder vs. Nuggets prediction, picks<\/p>\n

Justin Martinez:\u00a0OKC 120, Denver 115<\/p>\n

Aside from the closing minutes of Game 1, OKC has been the better team throughout this series. The Thunder’s defense has shined, forcing and average of 19.5 turnovers and converting them into an average of 28.5 points. It has also made life difficult for Nikola Jokic by throwing defenders such as Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams at him. And on offense, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to cause problems for a Denver defense that lacks an elite point-of-attack defender. Winning on the road won’t be easy, but I’m picking OKC come out on top in a close one.<\/p>\n

More: OKC Thunder faces NBA playoff dilemma: How to best defend Nuggets star Nikola Jokic<\/a><\/p>\n

CARLSON: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to be one of the greats and one of the guys | Carlson<\/a><\/p>\n

Thunder vs. Nuggets highlights in Game 3 of Western Conference semifinals<\/p>\n

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn\u2019t influence our coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aaron Gordon made a late 3-pointer to force overtime and it was all Denver Nuggets from there in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22850,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[59,7,265,618,366,311,57,56,80,60,301,187,267,284,268,623,948,619,947,949,832,364,106,119,270,3580,562,54,79,70,85,6,11,62,67,302,310,179,58,61,81,269,34,1937,276,622,209,275,286,66,83,277,55,271,312,264,282,73,833],"class_list":{"0":"post-22849","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-playoffs","8":"tag-affiliate","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-blog","11":"tag-chet","12":"tag-chet-holmgren","13":"tag-city","14":"tag-commerce","15":"tag-contains","16":"tag-contains-commerce-or-affiliate-content","17":"tag-content","18":"tag-denver","19":"tag-denver-nuggets","20":"tag-exclude","21":"tag-exclude-from-paywall-logic-testing","22":"tag-from","23":"tag-gilgeous-alexander","24":"tag-hartenstein","25":"tag-holmgren","26":"tag-isaiah","27":"tag-isaiah-hartenstein","28":"tag-jalen","29":"tag-jalen-williams","30":"tag-jr","31":"tag-live","32":"tag-logic","33":"tag-michael","34":"tag-michael-porter-jr","35":"tag-modular","36":"tag-modular-story","37":"tag-national","38":"tag-national-sports","39":"tag-nba","40":"tag-nba-playoffs","41":"tag-neutral","42":"tag-news","43":"tag-nuggets","44":"tag-oklahoma","45":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","46":"tag-or","47":"tag-overall","48":"tag-overall-neutral","49":"tag-paywall","50":"tag-playoffs","51":"tag-porter","52":"tag-scores","53":"tag-shai","54":"tag-shai-gilgeous-alexander","55":"tag-sport","56":"tag-sport-scores-u0026-statistics","57":"tag-sports","58":"tag-sports-news","59":"tag-statistics","60":"tag-story","61":"tag-testing","62":"tag-thunder","63":"tag-ttp","64":"tag-ttp-live-blog","65":"tag-u0026","66":"tag-williams"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}