Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC offer themselves the Nuggets start

The Nuggets are on a sixteen-game winning streak at home, their longest streak in ten years. Additionally, they are on a nine hitting streak. But, without Nikola Jokic (hamstrings) for the second straight game, and without Michael Porter Jr, Denver bit the dust against the more surprising Thunder (101-99).

Once again, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) won the decision by scoring a basket with the board 9 seconds from the end of the match. Without trembling, the leader of Canada tipped the scales for his team, while on the contrary, his compatriot Jamal Murray was unable to convert at the buzzer to grab the extension!

Before that, Jamal Murray however planted from distance to go back to -1 in the last minute. But Kenrich Williams answered him with the head of the racket. In this showdown in the West, it was Zeke Nnaji, full of composure, who leveled the throws before SGA’s fatal two-point blow on the board…

It offered a seventh victory in nine games for the Thunder, who continue to climb the Western Conference standings (currently 11th). Losing just Saturday in Sacramento, OKC continues its momentum while Denver (1st in the West) still maintains a margin of second (Memphis).

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

– Another “game winner” for SGA. This is becoming a (good) habit for Thunder: its leader takes care of everything in the crunch! Mark Daigneault has witnessed this many times this season, like against the Blazers a month ago or against the Wizards a month before, and he can only be happy about it: “He knows how to handle late-game situations well. The game slows down for him. He has a lot of confidence and always plays at his own pace, even in very high-pressure situations. »

– Michael Porter Jr. is absent. for personal reasons. If Jokic’s absence was more or less “planned”, that of MPJ was announced at the last minute, the fault of a fatal car accident involving Porter’s brother, Coban. Arrested on Sunday as part of the investigation, Coban Porter, a sophomore guard from the University of Denver, is currently suspected of manslaughter and dangerous driving.

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Unstoppable in Sacramento this weekend, with 37 points on 70% shooting success, SGA put the lid on the Rockies last night. Clearly not bothered by the height, the Thunder leader still carried his team offensively with 34 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, all on 13/21 shots, 1/2 from long range and 7/ 8 in throws. The more shots the winner. Still very clean!

✅ Kenrich Williams. It is the blue collar par excellence. Who wants to be Nick Collison 2.0 in Oklahoma City. Last night, Kenrich Williams was exemplary in versatility with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 25 minutes, including a nice 3/5 from 3-pointers with an ultra-important clutch shot.

✅⛔️ Jamal Murray. With 26 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds, Jamal Murray played his game. Unfortunately for him, he ran out of gas at the end of the match, with only 3 points in 1/5 in the final quarter. His last attempt hit the first circle, a huge disappointment for the Canadian scorer.

⛔️ Aaron Gordon. In the absence of his snowshoe sidekick, Aaron Gordon seems lost! If he finished with a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, he wasted a lot with 4/15 on shots that weren’t worthy of the interior (and his caliber). Like his 6/13 in throws which is a good spot…

THE FOLLOWING

Denver (25-22): traveling to New Orleans on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City (23-24): Hawks reception of Trae Young (local stage) on Wednesday.