The struggle continues for the Thunder, as they slump to just 3-10 and extend to a four-game losing streak. After gaining their first win of the season against the Nuggets in Oklahoma City, the Thunder were looking to do the same again on the road in Denver. The game remained relatively close during the first half, however, a fantastic offensive display in the third quarter saw the Nuggets take a lead that they would not relinquish. One of the bright spots of an otherwise grim start to the season for the Thunder has been their defense. However, the Nuggets shot 48 percent from the field and committed just eight turnovers.
The first quarter was a closely contested battle with neither team able to gain a lead of more than five points. A balanced Nuggets offense saw Mozgov finish the quarter with eight points and Lawson with six. Struggling to gather any type of offense, the first quarter was considerably better than in recent games for the Thunder, as they put up 26 points on the back of 10 points by Serge Ibaka, whose jump shot was on point early.
As the second quarter began, the Nuggets went on a 12-2 run, largely behind back-to-back three pointers from former Thunder player Nate Robinson. This pushed the Nuggets into a 44-38 lead with the momentum largely in their favor. The Thunder fought to keep the decifit under control, however, relied heavily on jump shots, as they scored just four points in the paint for the entire quarter. With a variety of Nuggets players making timely buckets, Denver went into halftime with a 54-49 lead.
It was the third quarter that gave the Nuggets the momentum to build a 15-point lead which the Thunder would never overcome. For every mini run the Thunder threw at the Nuggets, the home team responded, as the lead continued to grow and grow. To start the quarter, the Nuggets started by making seven straight field goals, and the Thunder were never able to restrict the Nuggets potent offense. Ty Lawson was the main trouble for the Thunder, as he finished with 15 points and 15 assists. Wilson Chandler was the main beneficiary of Lawson's playmaking, as he finished with 21 points off of 8-for-15 shooting. To end the quarter, the Thunder managed to reduce the decifit to just nine points. However, a late 5-0 run for the Nuggets, including a buzzer-beater three from Danilo Gallinari, resulted in the Thunder heading into the fourth quarter trailing by 14 points.
The Thunder started the final frame on a 13-6 run to bring the lead to just seven points. Struggling with his shot throughout the game, finishing just 5-of-20 from the field, Reggie Jackson was the catalyst behind this run, getting to the costless throw line and sinking six costless throws in the first five minutes of the quarter. The Thunder managed to get the Nuggets lead down to just three points, 98-101, with 3:18 left on the clock. This Thunder run was completely silenced by back-to-back three pointers from Chandler and Arron Afflalo, which put the lead back up to an insurmountable nine points. The Thunder were never able to get back in the game and the match fizzled out to a 107-100 Nuggets win.
The Thunder will face the Brooklyn Nets at home in their next game, and the Nuggets will take on the New Orleans Pelicans at home.