Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drains game-winner as Nuggets' dramatic game-tying play goes to waste

Bennett Durando, The Denver Post on Mar 9, 2026

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OKLAHOMA CITY — This time, the animosity between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder peaked when a pregame graphic was shown on the jumbotron.

NBA statistical leaderboards were flashing across the screen one by one at Paycom Center. When the “rebounding” category took its turn, Nikola Jokic’s head shot appeared next to the list of 10 names. Oklahoma City didn’t take kindly to the sight of it. Jokic’s league-best 12.5 boards per game were greeted with a chorus of boos.

But in the flesh, Jokic wasn’t greeted with the same contempt. Everybody was on their best behavior Monday night, while the basketball drama peaked with another wild finish — a game-winning step-back 3-pointer by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 2.7 seconds to go. The Nuggets fell to sixth in the West with a 129-126 loss.

The Nuggets might’ve been a little too well-behaved trying to stop the ball throughout the night. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 35 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists. He tied Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record with his 126th consecutive 20-point game — a streak no other player has come within 35 games of equaling. Not even a seven-point rally in the last two minutes was enough to erase a shaky defensive performance.

Jokic went for 32 points, 14 boards and 13 assists. Aaron Gordon started hot, scoring 19 of his 23 points in the first seven minutes as Nuggets coach David Adelman navigated his minutes restriction. He played 28. Tim Hardaway Jr. eventually carried the scoring torch for Denver’s role players, amassing 28 on an 8 for 12 night beyond the arc.

The lone excessive encounter of the game brought back sour memories — and gave the Nuggets one last chance. Lu Dort caught Jokic up high as he tried to fight over a screen by the MVP center, causing Jokic to hit the deck with 1:12 left and Denver trailing 123-116. It was ruled a flagrant foul after a review. Jokic didn’t lose his cool this time. He was content to collect a 4-point possession after making a free throw and a corner 3.

The Nuggets pulled off an even more dramatic 4-point play to tie it with eight seconds left when Jokic drained a 3-pointer and Jamal Murray was simultaneously fouled away from the play. He converted at the line, setting up SGA’s heroics.

In the prelude to this showdown, Jokic confronted Dort after being tripped — “an unnecessary move, and a necessary reaction,” as he described it. Dort was ejected, but the Nuggets continued to seethe in the aftermath of the incident, in part because they felt Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was dismissive of the play.

“Lu acknowledged that the play was unnecessary. I don’t think my comments, if I’m being honest, helped after the game,” Daigneault admitted Monday night. “I thought the timing of them was insensitive. I was in the mode of protecting my team moving forward.”

Bygones were bygones, for now. But the rematch lived up to the hype in every way, aside from the lack of extracurricular activity. Oklahoma City was fending without centers Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, but Williams — a third-string big good enough to start on at least a handful of teams — killed Denver with his spacing. He knocked down seven 3s in a 29-point performance after having been the first to defend Dort’s honor last week.

When he needed a breather, the Thunder went small with Dort and Kenrich Williams acting as a frontcourt. Adelman tried a bench unit featuring Gordon and Jonas Valanciunas in the first half, but they failed to punish Oklahoma City’s lack of size during a minus-10 stretch without Jokic.

Adelman went off-script to start the fourth quarter, playing Jokic against the small lineup in minutes he would usually rest. Daigneault quickly responded by getting Williams back on the floor. Jokic proceeded to take a 94-second break. Then it was time to ride him to the finish line.

Cam Johnson left the game with back spasms early in the third quarter but was able to return early in the fourth. He appeared to be in pain, but he managed to bury a timely corner 3-pointer for his first and only made field goal of the night. It gave the Nuggets a momentary 102-98 lead and helped them survive the mini-stint without Jokic.

But the defending champions were relentless. Ajay Mitchell, an afterthought on last year’s season and a developmental success story this season, scored the next four points to tie it. He amassed 24 on the night in his return from a 20-game absence. Jared McCain, a trade deadline steal from the tax-ducking Philadelphia 76ers, knocked down two 3s in the last four minutes. The Nuggets’ dribble containment against Gilgeous-Alexander and other ball-handlers failed them, forcing help to help off shooters.

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