OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 New and old issues collided and cost the Nuggets on Friday at Paycom Center.<\/p>\n
The minutes Nikola Jokic rested, a years-old issue, showed up in a big way. Denver won the 44 minutes, 34 seconds, Jokic was on the court by 15 points. The Nuggets lost the 8 minutes, 26 seconds, Jonas Valanciunas was on the court by 21 points.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t start the second quarter and the fourth quarter the way we did,\u201d Nuggets coach David Adelman said after a testy affair that ended with a 127-121 Thunder win.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m putting guys back in way too early. I think I wore our guys out, trying to get control back of the game. We just have to have a better performance from the guys coming in. They have to be ready to go. I give their bench credit. They blitzed us in both quarters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denver led by 14 after Jokic played the entire first quarter. Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Cam Johnson, Spencer Jones and Valanciunas were on the court to start the second. Jones struggled to keep Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in check, and Adelman quickly went back to Jamal Murray after a couple of minutes. Jones, who was questionable to play with a right shoulder strain, did not return after the Nuggets lost his short stint by six points.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26059176999398-1024x684.jpg\")
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, top, shoots over Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, left, and guard Jamal Murray (27) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo\/Kyle Phillips)<\/p>\n
By the time Jokic returned in the middle of the second quarter, Denver\u2019s lead was down to two. The trend repeated itself in the fourth. The Nuggets led by six after the third quarter. After Jared McCain, Jaylin Williams and Lu Dort hit 3s and Dort added a step-back jumper over Valanciunas, the Thunder had a three-point lead when Adelman took a timeout 2 minutes, 30 seconds, into the fourth to get Jokic back into the game. Jokic stayed seated for as long as possible before returning to the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey got going, and we didn\u2019t. They got good looks, and we didn\u2019t. They capitalized on theirs, and we didn\u2019t,\u201d Johnson said of the pivotal sequences. \u201cThat\u2019s pretty much it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson also played a part in the newer issue. The Nuggets led by three when the clock ticked under 5 minutes, making it another clutch game. Christian Braun hit a 3-pointer to put the Nuggets up six with 3:15 left in regulation, but a couple of free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander and a pair of 3s from Alex Caruso flipped the lead back in the Thunder\u2019s favor. Jokic tied it with 38 seconds left, and Braun blocked last season\u2019s Most Valuable Player to give the Nuggets a chance at a late go-ahead bucket. But Denver failed to execute.<\/p>\n
With 2.5 more seconds on the game clock than the shot clock, Murray and Jokic initiated their typically trustworthy two-man game with a high pick and roll. The Thunder had been using a third defender to disrupt the Nuggets\u2019 All-Stars, and Denver countered by having Bruce Brown set a screen along the baseline, leaving Johnson wide open in the corner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to understand that other guys are going to have to make a shot. They\u2019re not allowing those two guys to operate in space, and I wouldn\u2019t either. It\u2019s been a struggle in that sense. I think the guys, as we get used to it more and more. That\u2019s what it\u2019s going to be,\u201d Adelman said, comparing the game to the Dec. 23 loss in Dallas when Peyton Watson missed a corner 3 that would\u2019ve won it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to live with those shots with our guys. I trust them.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26059174235832-1024x683.jpg\")
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) passes the ball in front of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo\/Kyle Phillips)<\/p>\n
Johnson\u2019s clean look at a 3-pointer bounced off the rim and into Holmgren\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s part of it, man,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cSometimes you experience the highs. Sometimes you experience the lows. It\u2019s just one of those moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oklahoma City took a timeout with 6.5 seconds left, a few more seconds than they would\u2019ve had if Denver had been a little more patient. Adelman said Murray apologized for starting the sequence too early, but it didn\u2019t cost the Nuggets after Caruso missed a floater in the final seconds.<\/p>\n
Denver had 5 minutes of overtime to reverse recent history but failed to do so, even though the Thunder elected not to play Gilgeous-Alexander or Isaiah Hartenstein as they work their way back from injuries. The Nuggets committed the final three of their 18 turnovers and missed their first six attempts from 3-point range before Murray caught fire in the final minute.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe couldn\u2019t make a shot in the end of the game and in overtime,\u201d Jokic said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were getting open looks, and we just didn\u2019t make it. We know how they\u2019re guarding. We know. We understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was too little, too late after Isaiah Joe hit a couple of 3s earlier in overtime. Denver dropped to 14-16 in clutch games. The Nuggets\u2019 net rating in overtime, minus-12.5, ranks 27th. The Thunder own the league\u2019s best net rating in the clutch, 20.6, and are 17-10 in such games.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to keep working at it, though. We keep working our way to the end of these games, and we\u2019re not finding ways to finish them,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cSo, that\u2019s on me. I have to keep looking at it, talk to our two main guys. What are they comfortable with? We\u2019ll get there eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
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