DENVER — Game 2 is a thing of the past.
After a blowout of historic proportions by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets regained their composure and their form Friday in a 113-104 overtime victory in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Denver rallied from a 56-51 halftime deficit, and Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 26.7 seconds remaining to tie the game at 102.
MVP finalists Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić each had a chance to win it in regulation, but Gilgeous-Alexander missed a floater and Jokić’s turnaround jumper clanged off the rim as time expired.
Jokić responded with a layup to open overtime that sparked a 7-0 Nuggets run and sent Ball Arena into a frenzy. Michael Porter Jr. followed Jokić’s bucket with a 3, and Jamal Murray gave the Nuggets a 109-102 lead on a fast-break layup off a Thunder turnover.
A Thunder team that looked like world beaters in Game 2 was done. Gilgeous-Alexander struggled down the stretch, totaling three points in the fourth quarter and overtime, as the Nuggets seized control. And the NBA’s best team from the regular season didn’t find an answer in overtime.
The Nuggets maintain the home-court advantage they stole from the Thunder with a come-from-behind stunner in Game 1.
Nuggets bounce back from big loss
The win for the Nuggets arrived on the heels of Wednesday’s 149-106 loss to Oklahoma City that saw the Thunder set a playoff record with 87 first-half points. But margins of victory don’t matter in the grand scheme.
MVP candidates Nikola Jokić (15) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have their best games on Friday night in Denver. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
(AAron Ontiveroz via Getty Images)
Denver’s two-point win in Game 1 and nine-point win in Game 3 are enough to overcome Oklahoma City’s 43-point thrashing for control of the series over the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
“It’s just a loss,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said before Friday’s game about Game 2. “I know that they broke records or whatever. But it’s 1-1. I didn’t feel embarrassment. I felt like they played great, and we played bad. And it’s sports, and sometimes that happens.”
Michael Porter Jr. shows up
Hampered by a lingering shoulder injury while struggling on the road, Michael Porter Jr. managed 10 total points in Games 1 and 2 in Oklahoma City. Back home in Denver he returned as an impact player while tallying 21 points and eight rebounds and shooting 5 of 6 from 3.
Porter’s playoffs so far have been a case of feast or famine, and he’s frequently found himself on Adelman’s bench in pressure situations when he’s struggled. But that wasn’t the case Friday night. Porter led the Nuggets at halftime with 15 points, paced by his hot shooting from long distance.
He was then trusted in crunch time, and it paid off with his overtime 3-pointer that helped sink the Thunder.
Porter said postgame he’s been taking lidocaine injections to numb the pain in the shoulder and that he did so again on Friday to address what he said was initially diagnosed as a 4-6 week injury. He still feels limited from being “able to fully play physical or bump guys the way that I’d like to.” But he was able to find his shot when Denver needed it most.
“I knew there would be games where I wasn’t able to produce how I wanted to, or maybe I wouldn’t be able to, but it’s the playoffs, and I wanted to go out there and at least try,” Porter said. “It’s been an up-and-down playoffs for me, but that’s OK, because we’re in a good position as a team.”
Denver’s supporting cast overcomes Jokićs struggles
Oklahoma City has successfully pressured Murray and used active hands inside to limit Denver’s looks near the basket and keep Jokić in check. It worked again Friday night. The Thunder forced 14 Nuggets turnovers and flustered Jokić for much of the game.
Jokić finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. But he shot 8 of 25 from the field, including an 0-for-10 effort from 3 that was the worst of his playoff career. He turned the ball over eight times, also a career playoff worst.
But the Nuggets overcame those struggles, thanks in part to a hot shooting night from 3 (16 of 40, 40%) that was paced by Porter.
“The way they’re guarding — and it’s why they’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, they’re one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Adelman said postgame. “They’re taking away the paint. So we’ve got to be able to knock down open shots. And when Michael’s making shots, it obviously makes the court that much bigger or feel that much bigger.”
In the end, Porter’s output was part of a balanced scoring effort that saw four Nuggets starters score 20-plus points. Murray finished with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting, and Gordon had 22 points, going 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
Aaron Gordon is making a habit of hitting clutch playoff shots. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
(AAron Ontiveroz via Getty Images)
Gordon comes up clutch again
Gordon’s 3-pointer to force overtime followed his game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk to sink the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 of Denver’s first-round series and his game-winning 3-pointer to sink the Thunder in Game 1.
Clutch Gordon is becoming a central theme of these playoffs.
“AG, he must got the angels with him,” Porter said of Gordon after the game. “I’m so proud of him.”
Murray credited Gordon’s big shots to his preparation and dedication.
“I just think he’s always ready and obviously he puts the work in to get there,” Murray said. “It’s truly a testament to his whole life of manifesting, being ready for it, thinking about it, dreaming about it.
“And when it’s time to go do it, you’ve done everything to prepare for those kind of moments. AG’s always ready for the moment.”
Thunder, SGA look vulnerable
Following a 68-14 regular-season campaign, there have been times in these playoffs when the Thunder’s ascension to NBA champions looked inevitable. Oklahoma City opened the postseason with a 51-point thrashing of the Grizzlies in which it flirted with the largest margin of victory in playoff history.
Then there was Wednesday’s 43-point win over a Nuggets team boasting a core that won an NBA championship just two seasons ago. But for the second time in three games it was Denver’s late-game poise that proved to be the difference. The result is a series the Nuggets now control.
Oklahoma City had multiple chances to take control Friday. But Gilgeous-Alexander repeatedly took contested mid-range shots that bounced off the rim. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 1 of 8 in the fourth quarter and overtime, including a scoreless effort in the extra session. He finished the game with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, but shot 7 of 22 from the field and 1 of 6 from 3.
It wasn’t the type of effort Oklahoma City needs or expects from a presumed MVP. But despite his struggles, the Thunder controlled several aspects of the game and had a chance to win. The Thunder won the rebounding battle (54-49), the turnover battle (11 to 14) and had 19 more field-goal attempts than the Nuggets (104-85). Jalen Williams was arguably the best player on the court in a 32-point effort.
But Denver’s core of former champions came up big in the game’s most important moments, and put the game to bed quickly once it got to overtime.
“I think it comes down to everybody sticking together and believing and holding each other accountable and accepting criticism and going out there and just going with a positive attitude,” Murray said.
“That kind of mindset and everybody kind of being together, I think that can carry the weight for things to come.”
Game 4 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday in Denver.
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