The OKC Thunder suffered a 121-119 home loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Here are five takeaways from the NBA playoff game:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped Thunder shake off the early rust
Would OKC look rusty or rejuvenated?
That was the big question entering Game 1 for the Thunder, which hadn’t played a game since April 26. And it didn’t take long to find out.
A packed Paycom Center crowd was itching to erupt on OKC’s opening possession when a lob pass sailed toward Isaiah Hartenstein. But after palming the ball with his left hand, the big man blew the open dunk.
The Thunder showed some early signs of rust, missing five of its first six shot attempts. Still, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the exception.
The superstar guard pushed the ball up the floor early in the first quarter with bad intentions. He stopped at the free-throw line, got Christian Braun to jump on a shot fake and spun past him before sinking the jumper.
Gilgeous-Alexander erupted for 14 points and six rebounds in the first quarter on 6-for-8 shooting from the field (75%). That helped OKC claim a slim 27-26 lead.
Alex Caruso, Thunder eventually got going from deep
Alex Caruso had a little extra pep in his step after he splashed a 3-pointer with 10:59 left in the second quarter.
It wasn’t hard to see why. That marked the first made 3 of the night for the Thunder, which missed its first 10 attempts.
Caruso ultimately connected on five of his nine 3-pointers (55.6%) to finish with 20 points. He helped the Thunder salvage its night from deep and finish 15 for 43 (34.9%) as a team.
OKC has struggled from behind the arc these playoffs. OKC shot just 31.3% in that department during its four first-round games against Memphis.
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets overcame fatigue
After getting his shot blocked late in the second quarter, Nikola Jokic slowly jogged back on defense.
The big man was drenched in sweat, and his steps were even heavier than usual as he stomped up the floor. All he could do was watch the more energized Gilgeous-Alexander, who ran the fastbreak and got fouled on a layup attempt.
While the downside to OKC’s lengthy time off was some early rust, Denver experienced its own setback from a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers that concluded Saturday.
The Nuggets looked gassed at times. But, to their credit, they pushed through it.
Denver hustled on the glass, recording an incredible 21 offensive boards. And Jokic finished with 42 points and 22 rebounds on a night when he logged 42 minutes.
Denver then made a late push, erasing a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon drilled a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining to steal the win.
Denver dug deep, and it’ll have to keep doing that in a series where it won’t get many chances to catch its breath. There’s only one day between each of the first six games, and the lone two-day break would come before Game 7.
Alex Caruso did Alex Caruso things on defense
Head coach Mark Daigneault went with Caruso over Hartenstein to start the second half, and that decision paid off instantly.
Jamal Murray didn’t even get the ball past halfcourt on the opening possession before Caruso stole it. The two-time All-Defensive guard then cruised to the rim for an easy layup.
Who would’ve thought that the most unassuming-looking player on the floor would stand out the most?
In addition to catching fire offensively, Caruso shined on defense. He recorded a career-playoff-best five steals and added two blocks in 26 minutes off the bench.
OKC must now bounce back after late collapse
OKC took care of business without too much trouble in its first-round series against Memphis. It swept the Grizzlies and won those games by an average of 19.5 points.
But the young Thunder received its first gut punch of the postseason Monday in the form of a late collapse.
Free throws proved to be the difference down the stretch. Denver attempted 16 free throws in the final six minutes and change, and it made 13 of them.
Chet Holmgren then missed two free throws as OKC held a 119-118 lead with 9.1 seconds remaining. That set up Gordon’s game-winning 3-pointer.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the losing effort. Caruso added 20 points, six assists and five steals. Jalen Williams recorded 16 points and seven rebounds.
OKC will look to bounce back when it hosts Denver in Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. CT Wednesday (TNT).
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Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
