Nuggets fall to Thunder in season opener after dismal shooting night

These Nuggets will face better defenses than the Oklahoma City Thunder in most games, but they will need to shoot the ball better than their previous one-game sample to remain a championship contender.

Denver shot 35% from the field and 7-for-39 from 3-point range in its opening 102-87 loss to the Thunder on Thursday night at Ball Arena. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. combined for 27 points on 9 of 31 shooting, while Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Co. gave them nightmares as the Nuggets didn't get enough production from either the top or bottom of the roster.

Injury-plagued Oklahoma City beat the healthy Nuggets 27:17 in the third quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected 28 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Chet Holmgren added 25 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with his first triple-double of the season, collecting 16 points, 12 goals and 13 assists.

The Nuggets committed 10 of their 15 turnovers in the first half, carrying a preseason trend into their first meaningful minutes of the 2024-25 season. After halftime, the lack of goals was largely due to missed shots – 22 of their 29 attempts in the decisive third frame.

“They’re a great defensive team,” coach Michael Malone said before the game. “They are physical. They're trying to force you out. … The only challenge we have is if we can try to force the Thunder to be a half-court team, which means we take care of it and don't give up more than 25 points in transition, we give ourselves a chance to win.”

The scoring at the transition was pretty even. The same applied to color points and second chance points. But the Thunder's shot makers and scorers simply outclassed Denver's, with the variety of options standing out throughout the evening.