Thunder lose 113-107 in preseason overtime thriller against Nuggets

For the second night in a row, the Oklahoma City Thunder faced the Denver Nuggets.

But the result was different Thursday as the Thunder lost to the Nuggets 113-107 in an overtime thriller.

Notable starters Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, and Lugentz Dort rested in the Thunder’s final preseason game.

Despite that, Oklahoma City started fast, scoring 30 points in the first quarter. Yet, their scoring would dwindle in the second quarter and lead to the trailing 56-50 at halftime.

Aleksej Pokusevski led the Thunder at the half with 13 points off the bench. The second-year player would go on to lead the Thunder in scoring as he finished with 22 points.

Pokusevski would get some help in the second half from Mike Muscala, Ty Jerome, and Theo Maledon. Overall, the Thunder would have five players in double figures.

Jerome controlled the Thunder’s offense down the stretch as he scored or assisted on the Thunder’s final three baskets in regulation.

However, the Nuggets had another young guard in Markus Howard who would not let his team lose tonight.

The undrafted rookie scored 33 points and hit nine threes in the process. One of those threes sent the game to overtime, while another iced the win for Denver in overtime.

Both teams combined to shoot nearly 100 three-pointers on the night. Denver made 21 threes on 43%, while Oklahoma City made 13 threes on 31%.

Oklahoma City would lose to the Nuggets 113-107 in overtime after being unable to close out the game in regulation.

First-round pick Josh Giddey followed up last night’s heroics with a near triple-double tonight. The rookie finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

The Thunder will be back in action on Oct. 20 for the first game of the regular season against the Utah Jazz.