Holmgren’s Late-Game Dagger Secures OKC Thunder Victory Over Denver Nuggets

Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets were dealing with their own seperate issues before meeting each other in tonight's game.

Oklahoma City is missing Jalen Williams to an ankle injury that he suffered in its loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, while Denver is missing its MVP candidate Nikola Jokic with lower back pain. 

Neither team was going to be 100%, but it was an important game for both sides in the scarily close race for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder ultimately came out on top, defeating the Nuggets 105-100.

The standout of the game was Chet Holmgren, who had himself a very much needed rebound game after some disappointing performances in recent losses. The rookie came away with 18 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, asserting himself defensively and knocking down some tough attempts. He even hit the eventual dagger late in the fourth quarter, all but securing the win for Oklahoma City. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a typically fantastic performance as well, scoring 34 points along with seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal. He particularly made an impact late in the game, also hitting a clutch 3-pointer in the closing minutes. 

Disaster struck the Thunder offense early on, allowing the Nuggets to go on a 10-0 run in the middle of the first quarter to jump out to a 23-10 lead. Holmgren did block two shots in the quarter, however, including one that met Aaron Gordon at the rim. 

Oklahoma City was able to battle back by the end of the first 12 minutes, but it remained down by nine points heading into the second. 

A spark off the bench came in the form of Vasilije Micic, who recorded a quick seven points with two rebounds and three assists in his first six minutes of playing time. Micic has received a low amount of playing time for most of the year, but head coach Mark Daigneault opting to play 11 players by the halfway point of the second quarter allowed the rookie to make an impact for the Thunder tonight. 

As much as the first half was a struggle for Oklahoma City, it was able to get the Denver lead within four by shooting much more efficiently in the second quarter and locking in defensively. 

That translated into the third quarter, where Josh Giddey started it off by throwing a beautiful one-handed spiraling bounce pass to a cutting Aaron Wiggins for two points. 

The Thunder continued to play for narrowly behind throughout most of the quarter, but finally gained the lead after a 25-footer from Holmgren with 15 seconds left.

Holmgren's 3-pointer breathed new life into Oklahoma City, bleeding into the start of the fourth quarter where it scored a quick five points. The offense kept booming while the defense stayed firm in the path of Denver, setting itself up for an opportunity to win. 

It didn't come easy, however, as the Nuggets made it a three-point game with 1:13 left in the game. With the Thunder desperately needing points to secure the win, the ball found its way in the hands of a wide-open Holmgren on a second chance opportunity, who set his feet and hit the game-securing shot to bring home the victory. 

The Thunder will remain at home for its next game against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m. CT in Paycom Center. 

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