Gilgeous-Alexander Gets Hot in OKC's Opening Game Win Over Denver

The Thunder fell back on its star guard to lead the way in a 102-87 victory.

Oct 24, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball over Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) in the second quarter at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The OKC Thunder swarmed the Denver Nuggets defensively, aiding in a 102-87 victory to kick off its season. The Thunder got the most from its star players on both sides of the ball and controlled the tempo of the game for seemingly the entire 48 minutes.

A slow first-quarter start tainted the Thunder quickly, getting down 18-10 with six minutes remaining in the opening section of the game. A few wild sequences shortly after catapulted the Thunder ahead by its end, leading 31-24 when the clock hit zero. 

OKC’s defensive prowess as a unit was on full display in the first quarter and only improved as the game went on. They did allow 24 points to start, but the amount of deflections and ability to disrupt shots at the rim helped the Thunder gain the lead. 

The Nuggets were no slouches defensively, either. They, in a similar manner, did an excellent job disrupting shots at the rim and causing multiple deflections. Each bucket from each team was hard-earned. 

The main catalyst to start the second quarter in maintaining the Thunder lead was swing guard Aaron Wiggins. He got off to a hot start, with nine points on 4-for-4 shooting. One of those looks was a wide-open three-point shot with the others inside the perimeter line. 

OKC continued its defensive pressure, forcing 10 turnovers by the end of the first half. Thunder center Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Lu Dort all wreaked havoc defending their respective matchups. Even though they only led 58-51 at the half end, there were not many comfortable shot attempts from the Nuggets. 

Denver also only shot 3-for-17 from the perimeter, a major reason for the first-half deficit. Leading the Thunder in scoring at the half was Holmgren and star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both with 11 points on around 50% shooting. 

The Nuggets came out of the second half looking to narrow the lead quickly, with a fast triple from forward Michael Porter Jr. and a fast break dunk from Christian Braun. The score was quickly only separated by six points, but Holmgren quickly responded with a pick-and-roll dunk and transition triple. 

Braun and Porter led a big run and made the Thunder sweat a little. A response was needed and that’s exactly what happened, with Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander aiding in another momentum swing.

The dominance of Holmgren on both ends of the floor increased as the clock lowered, with a crowd-silencing block on Nikola Jokic and a fast-break posterizing dunk to give the Thunder an 81-66 lead. Separation was created heading into the final period, with an 85-68 lead.

OKC did exactly what it needed to do to maintain its lead in the fourth quarter: stay solid on defense and remain efficient offensively. Gilgeous-Alexander imposed his will on all three levels offensively, especially while attacking the basket.

Porter Jr. had the opportunity to cut the deficit to 10 points with a transition triple, but it did not fall and Holmgren secured an important defensive rebound. That was Denver's chance to make the final two minutes interesting and OKC closed it out from there.

Regardless of whether the Thunder walked away with a win over Denver, the minutes it got from Aaron Wiggins were detrimental to the team's win. Wiggins finished with 15 points and six rebounds on 7-for-9 shooting.

The leading scorer for OKC in its victory was Gilgeous-Alexander, who recorded 28 points on 11-for-24 shooting. He remained consistent and efficient all game for OKC.

Holmgren did nearly everything for the Thunder in game one, blocking four shots and securing 14 rebounds, while also finishing with 25 points on an efficient 11-18 shooting. Outside of his 0-for-5 perimeter shooting performance, minimal flaws could be drawn from his first game of the season.

In a well-rounded scoring performance for the Nuggets, it was Jokic and Braun leading the way. Jokic finished with 16 on 6-for-13 shooting, along with 13 assists and 12 rebounds for a common triple-double performance. Braun walked away with 16 points and 7 rebounds while showing his high-intensity defense all game.

OKC makes the trip to Chicago to take on the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 26 for its second game of the new NBA season.

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