What went wrong for Nuggets vs Thunder? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC 'got a squad'

Yahoo

20-05-2025

Confetti sprinkled down onto Nuggets players as Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' blared throughout Paycom Center.
The tune served as a fitting anthem for a Oklahoma City Thunder team still dancing through the playoffs.
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But amid the celebration, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon stood still, brushing streamers off his arms and lowering his shoulders in quiet defeat. Denver had just been eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals.
Again.
This time in a 125-93 blowout loss to the Thunder in Game 7. Unlike last season's hard-fought exit against the Timberwolves, Sunday's loss felt definitive.
'To have the start that we wanted and then for it to go sideways so quickly — I thought we controlled the pace of the game early,' Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said.
'It's easy to forget that now.'
Denver jumped out to a 21-10 lead in the first seven minutes. But the Thunder responded with a backbreaking 50-24 run to end the half, taking a 16-point lead into the break and never looking back.
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A lot went wrong for the Nuggets in various spurts throughout that stretch.
REQUIRED READING: OKC Thunder didn't 'leave anything on the table' in Game 7 smackdown of Denver Nuggets
For starters, Thunder forward Jalen Williams spearheaded the turnaround. After a quiet start, he exploded for 17 of his 24 points in the second quarter to fuel an 18-5 run just before halftime.
OKC also forced 12 first-half turnovers which led to 12 points and 10 additional fastbreak points.
'To be honest, playing seven games against them reminded me of playing AAU,' Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray said. 'Everybody is young, athletic and flying around playing half court trap. Everybody's flying in for rebounds, fast breaks were going up back and forth.
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'This is a young, talented group that has a lot to offer.'
Most notably, the injury to Gordon left Denver with little room for error.
The Nuggets' hopes were further hampered by the limited status of Gordon, who suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in the closing minutes of Game 6. Though cleared to play shortly before tipoff, he was clearly not himself.
'I couldn't sprint — that was tough,' Gordon said. 'I was trying to play a real old man game. I gave it my all."
Gordon had emerged to become one of the league's best point-of-attack defenders and held OKC's Williams to struggle throughout the series. He even stepped up at times this postseason as Denver's second scoring option to star Nikola Jokic to average a career playoff best 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds.
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Other factors such as poor shooting from Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook also played a role. But the absence of Gordon's high motor on the ball and on the glass defensively left a clear void throughout the afternoon.
CARLSON: With road to NBA championship wide open, OKC Thunder passes huge test in bouncing Nuggets
Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren (7) greets Denver's Nikola Jokic (15) following the NBA basketball Game 7 playoff game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Sunday, May, 18, 2025.
When asked what went wrong, Gordon echoed a sentiment that's grown familiar throughout the series.
'I mean, they've got a squad,' Gordon said. 'They're very interchangeable. They've got a lot of pesky defenders and they're well coached.'
Denver enters the offseason with several questions looming over the organization.
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The franchise must decide whether to elevate Adelman to head coach following the late season firing of Michael Malone. A new general manager will also need to be hired after Calvin Booth's firing last month.
Financially, the Nuggets are heavily tied up.
Over $167 million is committed next season to Jokic, Murray, Porter and Gordon. While Denver's core is locked in, depth was a glaring issue throughout the playoffs, forcing the starting five into heavy minutes and often leading to late-game fatigue.
Adelman acknowledged as much.
'You can't win these games unless you get to them,' Adelman said. 'If we're going to get there, we need people to improve. We need to improve our depth. How do you do that? Well, I think you have to have better development. I think it makes you better when you get to these moments in April, May and hopefully June.'
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Denver's 2023 NBA championship feels even further in the rearview mirror now.
If the Nuggets are to return to that level, big decisions — and even bigger improvements — await.
MUSSATTO: Jalen Williams redeems himself in Game 7 of NBA Playoffs by fueling Thunder past Nuggets
Jordan Davis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jordan? He can be reached at [e-mail] or on X/Twitter at @jdavis34_. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Jordan's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Nuggets will need help for Nikola Jokic after season ends vs Thunder