The unbearable helplessness that Thunder felt when they saw how the Nuggets birla the first game with the triple winner of Aaron Gordon He was inversely proportional to the rage with which they were going to liquidate the 2023 champion last night in just 10 minutes. Oklahoma unloaded all his anger on Nikola Jokic And his own to tie the series in the blink of an eye, 33-13 above already in the absence of 3 minutes for the end of the first quarter in a match in which there was no game (149-106). The result of the break was already scandal (87-56).
Jokic, who ended up eliminated before the last quarter, was the victim who suffered all that fury of the Thunder, limited to 17 points with a 6/16 in shots after his 42 of Game 1. in a portentous and powerful deployment of the best defense of the NBA, the set of Mark Daigneault riddled al triple MVP From the initial jump, denying any comfortable reception even if it was atizing more. Suffocating him with double defenses executed faster than the speed at which he processes his privileged mind to find free companions, which is to say.
Oklahoma ran and its rhythm became unattainable for nuggets in the same way as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Clearly the victorious Canadian in his duel against the reigning MVP, which aims to happen during this tie Conference semifinals.
-The base signed 34 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists in some thunder with up Chet Holmgren, redeemed after its two failed free throws that preceded Gordon’s triple miraculous. The west regular season champion signed the points record in a first part in Playoffs with 87, exceeding 86 of the 2017 Cavaliers.
The caliber of the Oklahoma defensive recital was reflected in the figures of the striking offensive chaos of Denver. The set now trained by the interim David Adelman It is the one that distributes the most assists of the NBA with 31 but last night it stayed in 18, less basket passes than losses (20). Jokic recorded as many assists as losses in an unusual fact (6) and captured only 8 rebounds after the 22 of the first game. Jaylin Williams He was one of the murders under the mandate that Daigneault was taken with his overwhelming defense about the Joker leaving from the bench, showing himself with his constant braceo and his most effective 2.06 than Isaiah Hartenstein with his 2.13 or Holmgren with his 2.16.
The Thunder ran and the control of the offensive rebound also allowed them to avoid Denver to do so. Although sometimes past revolutions, he had a pique with Williams himself, Russell Westbrook He was the best of Denver with 19 points from the bench while Jamal Murray contributed 14. The energy of Russ It will be necessary to awaken Nuggets with the tie by planting at Denver heights on Friday. We will have to see how Jokic’s mind tames Oklahoma’s beasts.
