Thunder struck.
After a devastating Game 1 loss in the final seconds against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a sour taste in their mouths and needed to bounce back in the worse way. That is exactly what the Thunder did in Game 2, winning in blowout fashion to even the series at 1-1 by a final score of 149-106.
Oklahoma City set an NBA playoff record for first-half points with a grand total of 87, surpassing the 86 scored by the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 9, 2017. Chet Holmgren, who bricked two crucial free throws late in Game 1, made a pair with one second remaining in the second quarter to set the record and give the Thunder a commanding 31-point lead, 87-56.
The Thunder tied the record for points in any half of a playoff game. The Milwaukee Bucks tallied 87 in the second half against Denver on April 23, 1978.
“Basically, it was one team playing tonight,” Denver center and MVP finalist Nikola Jokic said.
Jokic, who had a historic game with 42 points and 22 rebounds along with six assists in a Game 1 win, was held in check and had just 17 points and eight rebounds on Wednesday before collecting his sixth foul late in the third quarter.
Embed from Getty ImagesRussell Westbrook led the Nuggets with 19 points. Oklahoma City’s crowd, which resembled a college atmosphere, cheered for the ex-Thunder star when he entered Game 1 as a reserve, but the fans changed their tune and booed him shortly after he entered Game 2. Westbrook got called for a technical foul moments later, and Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down the free throw to make it 34-13.
This was an important victory for the Thunder, especially as the series shifts to Denver for the next two games. Getting into a 0-2 hole would have been borderline insurmountable, but OKC did what they needed to do and took care of business from the opening tip.
In Game 2, the Nuggets scored the first bucket of the contest by Jamal Murray but never experienced a lead again. In fact, Denver led for the first 21 seconds of the matchup, but the Thunder led the entire game from there. Oklahoma City broke open a 20-point lead in the first quarter, ultimately extending it to more than 40 in the third quarter as both teams called off the dogs and emptied their benches for the entire fourth.
It was similar to the Thunder’s opening game against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, which was another dominant performance that resulted in a 51-point win. As the series moves to the ‘Mile High City, Denver, it is all about carrying this momentum into Game 3 on Friday.
The primary difference in the first two games was on the offensive side of the floor for the Thunder. In Game 2, Denver was able to get into their offense and score points, but not early enough. The Nuggets scored 56 points in the first half, which in most playoff games would be plenty, but the Thunder scored an NBA record 87 points in that same timeframe. From there, OKC outscored Denver 37-20 in the third quarter, fully putting the game out of reach.
Another significant factor in the Thunder playing so well in Game 2 was their rebounding advantage. Oklahoma City was outrebounded by 20, 63-43 in Game 1 but won the glass battle in Game 2. It was a team effort rebounding the ball, as only one player, Holmgren, pulled down double-digit rebounds, but five separate players grabbed at least four. That came down to intensity, effort, and an emphasis on rebounding in the game plan.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made his presence felt in Game 2 after Nikola Jokic stole the show in the opener, as the Thunder superstar scored 34 points on 11-of-13 shooting in just three quarters and was a +51 in the box score, which is the best plus/minus in the history of the NBA Playoffs. As stated previously, Jokic fouled out in the third quarter and scored just 17 points on 16 shots. Making him a non-factor was what set the tone early in the contest, as the Thunder schemed an aggressive and physical defensive plan to contain him down in Game 2.
“We knew what was at stake tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We came out desperate. We wanted to just take care and control the things that we knew we could. And we did a pretty good job of that, specifically to start the game. The start carried us through the rest of the night.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said Gilgeous-Alexander did much more than score.
“He made them pay when they overhelped on him,” Daigneault said. “He had the ball ahead of them all night, so he got his teammates shots, too. It wasn’t just a one-man show. He was super-efficient. I mean, he had an unbelievable blend tonight.”
Like in most playoff series, every game is different with its own personality. There are plenty of takeaways from Game 1 and Game 2 but expect that the next two contests in Denver will look completely different. It is unlikely that the Thunder will put together another blowout of Game 2’s caliber, so finding momentum and other things to continue building upon will be crucial.
“We got punked, and we didn’t play well enough, and they came out with the right intensity,” Denver interim coach David Adelman said. “We didn’t.”
Adelman said he would not minimize the loss, even though the Nuggets head back to Denver with home-court advantage in hand.
“I’m not sitting here tonight talking about the 1-1 thing tonight,” he said. “Not tonight. We’re not going to flush that. We’ve got to be better. We know that. That being said, it’s nice to know that you got a win underneath your belt.”
As crucial as Game 2 was for Oklahoma City to even the series at 1-1, Game 3 on Friday is now the focus as the Thunder will look to take its first lead of this series.
