Nikola Jokic had 42 points and 22 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Denver Nuggets a stunning 121-119 comeback win over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
Oklahoma City, out of timeouts, missed a desperation heave as time expired.
Denver’s Russell Westbrook, who started his career with the Thunder, assisted on Gordon’s game-winner. It was his first playoff game in Oklahoma City as an opposing player.
Gordon finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Jamal Murray added 21 points for the fourth-seeded Nuggets, who stole the opener after closing out a seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.
Denver’s opportunity came after Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren missed two free throws with the Thunder leading by a point.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who hadn’t played in more than a week after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Alex Caruso added 20 points, six assists and five steals.
Jokic picked up three fouls during a two-minute stretch in the third quarter after committing just one foul in the first half. He stayed in the game with the Thunder leading 73-64.
The Nuggets closed the gap to 90-85 by the end of the third quarter.
With the Thunder leading 104-95 and just under seven minutes remaining, Jokic elbowed Lu Dort in the head on a drive, and the play was reviewed. The play was ruled a flagrant 1 on Jokic — his fifth foul — and Dort made two free throws.
Denver spent the rest of the game closing the gap.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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