Apr 4, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) handles the ball against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images / Erik Williams-Imagn Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder had one of the best NBA regular seasons in recent memory, winning 68 of 82 games led by MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder did not have much trouble in their regular-season campaign, and that rolled into the first round of their playoffs. Oklahoma City swept the Memphis Grizzlies to move on to the Western Conference quarterfinals, but now has to face the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets, led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, made a statement in Monday’s Game 1 to take a commanding 1-0 series lead, handing the Thunder their first loss of the postseason.
The Thunder and Nuggets split their regular-season series 2-2, and now their seven-game playoff series is expected to go the distance. These two heavyweight teams are very evenly matched, making for an exciting playoff series, as shown in Game 1.
After their loss, Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got honest about their series outlook.
“Should be good, should be fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We’re gonna find out what we’re really made of. We couldn’t expect it to be smooth sailing this whole journey. Today’s a bump in the road, unexpected. Nobody expects to lose, especially that way. It’s the game of life. It’s about how you respond to getting knocked down.”
SGA: “Should be good, should be fun. We’re gonna find out what we’re really made of. It’s the game of life. It’s about how you respond to getting knocked down” pic.twitter.com/fYHeV9F88l
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 6, 2025
The Thunder have certainly not been used to losing this season, so Denver getting the best of them thanks to an Aaron Gordon game-winner was exactly what the Nuggets needed to gain some momentum and take control of the series.
The Thunder and Nuggets will face off for Game 2 of their second-round series on Thursday.
