Oklahoma City Thunder

Playoff Hopes in Danger as Thunder Loses to Nuggets in Third Consecutive Loss

The Thunder GuysMarch 30, 2018 No Comments

For the third time this week, the Thunder lost a desperate game in a desperate situation on Friday night as the Nuggets stole a 126-125 win in Oklahoma City.

The Thunder got off to a hot start by jumping out to a 12-4 lead in the first two minutes, but the Nuggets quickly answered to tie things up at 14-14 less than five minutes into the game. Carmelo Anthony would get off to a hot start with 12 points, and Paul George would add in seven of his own, but the Thunder defense struggled to get stops, and after one quarter, Oklahoma City led by a stick-man 28-27.

The second quarter was more back and forth between both teams, and Russell Westbrook was finally able to get something going. He put up a line of 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the first half, with most of that coming in the second period, but Oklahoma City’s defense simply could not get things under control. Going into the locker room at halftime, Denver held a 62-58 lead.

The third quarter was all too familiar for Oklahoma City as Denver jumped on the Thunder right out of halftime. the Nuggets started with an 11-4 run in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the second half, and midway through the period, Denver led by 15 points. Oklahoma City was unable to get much done, and at the end of the quarter, the Nuggets held a 92-79 lead over the Thunder.

As bad as the third quarter was for Oklahoma City, the fourth quarter was great. The Thunder started the period with a 10 unanswered points, which they extended to a 15-2 run to tie the game at 94-94 with just under eight minutes to play.

Oklahoma City was able to keep things rolling on offense, but as was the case for most of the night, the Thunder was unable to get stops on defense. With plenty of opportunities to win the game, Oklahoma City failed to knock down clutch free throws, and with nine seconds left, Will Barton was able to hit a shot to tie things up at 114-114. Russell Westbrook was unable to hit a three at the buzzer, and the game was forced into overtime.

Corey Brewer knocked down a three on the Thunder’s first possession of free basketball, and it looked like Oklahoma City was going to put this game away. Denver, however, had other plans, as they scored back-to-back possessions to take a momentary lead. The Thunder and the Nuggets would trade off possessions with the lead, but with 1:37 left in overtime, Jamal Murray would hit a shot to put Denver on top 122-121. As hard as the Thunder would try, they were unable to retake the lead, and the Nuggets came away with the win to knock Oklahoma City into sixth in the Western Conference standings.

On the Road to New Orleans

The Oklahoma City Thunder hits the road again to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday evening. The Pelicans are currently sitting in eight in the West, but they hold a 2-0 advantage over the Thunder on the season. Tip-off is set for 5 PM CT and will be televised on FSOK. The game will also be broadcast on the radio on WWLS 98.1 FM.

Be sure to check out this week’s episode of Thunder Things with the Thunder Guys.

Article written by Zack Low. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

 

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