Witness an epic comeback, fiery clashes, and clutch performances as the Thunder outlast the Nuggets in a playoff-like thriller.
The Paycom Center played host to an instant classic regular season game last night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets by a final score of 127-121 in highly entertaining overtime game on ESPN. The Western Conference Semifinals rematch had so many storylines that it's nearly impossible to narrow it down one main takeaway.
So let's run down the Top 10 storylines instead.
1. OKC vs Denver is the NBA's best current rivalry. This game was chippy from the opening tip. The physicality and extracurricular pushing, shoving and pulling was off the charts. The two best players in the league. Arguably the two best teams in the league. The Thunder and Spurs may take the baton as soon as this season's playoffs. But for the time being, this is the greatest rivalry in the game.
2. Thunder come back from 16 point deficit. This one looked bleak for OKC early. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checked out at the 7 minute mark with the Thunder down 1 point. Denver immediately went on a 13-2 run with the MVP on the bench. The Nuggets won the 1st quarter by 14 points. OKC won the 2nd quarter, 3rd quarter, 4th quarter and overtime.
3. Loud City earns its nickname. The NBA's rowdiest arena was in peak form from the jump until the final buzzer of overtime. Thunder fans gave a regular season game in February a playoff atmosphere.
4. Lu Dort ejection. OKC's First Team All-Defense guard tripped Nikola Jokic and was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ousted from the game. The incident ignited some silly social media outrage as well as a heated kerfuffle. See below.
5. Nikola Jokic vs Jaylin Williams. The Nuggets big man took exception to the trip and got into Dort's face. Williams took exception to Jokic intimidating his teammate. The two unlikely rivals dating back to last season's playoffs got in a heated face to face. The heated altercation only added to the intense playoff atmosphere.
6. Jared McCain provides scoring punch. On a night where the offense was stalled outside of Gilgeous-Alexander, the newest Thunder player kept OKC afloat. The former 76er scored 14 points on 6-8 shooting including 2-3 from deep. The Thunder needed every one of those buckets to force the extra frame.
7. Role players shine. McCain's 14 points were the loudest but he wasn't the only OKC reserve to step up. Alex Caruso made plays all over the court including two big 3s to send the game to overtime. Jaylin Williams scored 12 points and was a team-high +17. Isaiah Joe splashed two clutch 3s in overtime. Cason Wallace went 4-4 from the free throw line to ice the game.
8. Chet Holmgren sets career high with 21 rebounds. The Thunder All-Star chipped in an efficient 15 points and provided his trademark rim protection with 3 blocks. But it was his work on the boards, especially given he was up against Jokic and Jonas Valančiūnas, that stood out.
9. Thunder dominate overtime without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC was thoroughly outscored every time their best player rested during regulation. Due to a minutes restriction, Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein both had to sit during the extra period. And Isaiah Joe, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams and Chet Holmgren beat the Nuggets starting unit.
10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander returns and wins battle of the MVPs. After missing the last nine games, Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 36 points on 12 of 29 shooting, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 1 turnover in only 34 minutes. Meanwhile, Jokic had 23 points on 9 of 25 shooting, 17 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocks and 3 turnovers in 45 minutes. Just like this season's first matchup and last season's West Semifinals, the Thunder MVP outplayed the Nuggets MVP.