The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Nuggets 96-84 on Thursday night at Paycom Center, holding Denver to 38% shooting and forcing 22 turnovers to move to 2-0 on the season. Jalen Williams led all scorers with 21 points, and Chet Holmgren added 12 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City pulled away in the second half, outscoring Denver 52-36 over the final two quarters after the Nuggets built an early 27-22 lead through one. Aaron Gordon paced Denver with 20 points, but Nikola Jokic finished with just 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting and a minus-20 plus-minus in 35 minutes as the Nuggets dropped to 0-1.
Key Moments: How The Thunder Took Over
Denver led 27-22 after the first quarter behind three-pointers from Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun, but the Thunder chipped away in the second, cutting the deficit to 44-39 by halftime. Oklahoma City then outscored Denver 26-16 in the third quarter and 26-20 in the fourth to close out the win, per the official box score.
The Thunder forced 22 Nuggets turnovers while committing only 12 of their own, turning that gap into extra possessions. Oklahoma City also won the fast break battle 10-2 and out-rebounded Denver’s bench effort with 16 offensive boards of its own, keeping the Nuggets’ offense in reaction mode for most of the second half.
Top Performers
Jalen Williams shot 7-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-6 from three, and added five rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. Chet Holmgren was the defensive anchor, finishing 5-of-9 shooting with 17 rebounds and four blocks in 28 minutes, numbers that led all players in both categories.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting but posted a team-best plus-21 in 35 minutes. Alex Caruso dished five assists to lead Oklahoma City’s ball movement, which produced 22 assists on 36 made baskets.
For Denver, Aaron Gordon’s 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting led the Nuggets, while Trevon Brazile grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds off the bench. Jamal Murray struggled offensively, scoring just six points on 2-of-11 shooting over 37 minutes, and finished with a minus-15 rating.
What It Means
The result opens the 2026-27 season at 2-0 for Oklahoma City, which now leads the Northwest Division ahead of Minnesota and Portland, both 1-0. Denver fell to 0-1 and sits 1.5 games back in the early division standings. Oklahoma City also leads the season series 1-0 after the lone meeting so far between the two clubs.
Denver’s 38% shooting and 27% mark from three-point range reflected a night in which the Nuggets never found rhythm against an Oklahoma City defense that posted 12 steals and nine blocks as a team. The Thunder’s 93% free-throw shooting, going 13-of-14 at the line, also widened the margin in a game that stayed within single digits for much of the second quarter.
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