Will the real MVP please stand up.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic performed like a champion and showed why he is a finalist for another MVP award with his historic stat line. But with Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals up for grabs, the ball again found Aaron Gordon’s hands just like it did in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1, in a hard fought, scrappy contest.
The Nuggets completed a thrilling 14-point comeback with a game-winning three by Gordon to stun and knock off the Western Conference’s No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, prevailing 121-119 on Monday night.
“We just didn’t want to miss the moment, didn’t want to miss the opportunity,” Gordon said. “We knew that if we waited, it may be too late. I’m glad we showed our mettle, our grit, but we’re not satisfied.”
Gordon played a much bigger role than just coming through in the clutch.
“Aaron’s going to be a hero again,” Denver interim coach David Adelman said. “But I’m also looking at 14 rebounds. I’m looking at 22 points. Looking at ball-handling responsibilities, leadership. He is a Denver Nugget, man. Like, he is the soul of our team. So, cool to see him have two moments that no one will forget.”
The Thunder are an overwhelming favorite to capture the franchise’s first championship since 1979 when they were the Seattle SuperSonics, after finishing with a league-best record of 68-14 while the Nuggets have had a season filled with peaks and valleys, firing coach Michael Malone abruptly with only three games left before the end of the regular season.
Embed from Getty ImagesGame 1 of the series between the two started off like many people expected, with the Thunder dominating the first half and having their way with things.
The matchup between the two teams sees a knockdown, drag out battle between two frontrunners for this season’s MVP award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder and Jokic of the Nuggets.
The pair shone brightly like diamonds in Game 1 with Gilgeous-Alexander racking up 33 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals, just two assists shy of a triple-double and Jokic posting a monster stat-line of 42 points, 22 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
But in the end, it was a member of the Nuggets supporting cast who made all the difference in the world after a controversial strategy by the Thunder.
After Gilgeous-Alexander dunked to give the Thunder a three-point lead, 116-119, with 11 seconds left, Oklahoma City decided to foul Gordon without running time off the clock. The Nuggets forward stepped to the line and converted both free throws to cut the lead to one before Denver’s Russell Westbrook, who spent the first 11 years of his career in Oklahoma City, fouled center Chet Holmgren with 9.5 seconds remaining.
Holmgren missed both of his attempts and Nuggets guard Christian Braun grabbed the rebound, passing the ball to Westbrook who in turn set up Gordon’s triple and leaving the Thunder a mere 2.8 seconds to respond.
Thunder guard Jalen Williams attempted a heave from deep as time expired, but the ball hit the backboard and bounced away, sparking an emotional celebration from an underdog Denver squad.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he did not regret the strategy that ultimately kept the Nuggets in the game.
“It didn’t go our way tonight, but it’s worked out well for us in the past,” Daigneault said. “We’ll continue to look at it and learn from it, but I don’t think that’s why we lost the game.”
The game-winning shot from Gordon is his second final-minute, game-winning moment of this postseason already after his dunk in Game 4 against the Clippers turned that series upside down.
This series will not be easy, and the Nuggets will provide a difficult challenge for the Thunder due to their experience, not to mention their combination of size and all-around magic in Jokic, with a potential all-time series brewing between two contenders as Game 2 in Oklahoma City looms on Wednesday.
