Thunder beat Nuggets 96-84 as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 141-game 20-point streak ends

The Oklahoma City Thunder found a way to win without their usual scoring machine. Jalen Williams scored 21 points and Chet Holmgren added 12 points and 17 rebounds as the Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 96-84 on Thursday night in their home opener at Paycom Center.

The win came on a night when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's remarkable run finally ended. The two-time reigning MVP finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting, snapping a streak of 141 straight games with at least 20 points.

Oklahoma City is now 2-0. Denver, playing its first game of the season, got 20 points from Aaron Gordon while Nikola Jokic and DeMar DeRozan scored 13 apiece.

A rare cold half

Gilgeous-Alexander, who poured in 32 points against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, missed all seven of his shots in the first half. Two free throws were the only thing that kept him from his first scoreless half since his 2019 rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

It was only the fourth time in 450 games with the Thunder that he went a full half without a field goal. He opened the third quarter by scoring the first basket to make it 48-46 and slowly found his rhythm from there.

Thunder pull away

Ajay Mitchell's layup gave Oklahoma City a 64-62 edge, its first lead since it was up 3-0 early. Alex Caruso and Gilgeous-Alexander then hit 3-pointers to put the Thunder up 70-64 after three quarters.

The defense did the rest. Holmgren finished with four blocks and Denver never got back in front. Gilgeous-Alexander's 3-pointer with 1:44 left pushed the lead to 93-76. He asked to come out of the game moments later.

Up next

The Nuggets host the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday. The Thunder stay home to face the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.