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Nuggets vs Thunder score, highlights: Thunder eke out victory against Nuggets in Game 4

Elizabeth Flores ,  Jeff Zillgitt   Paste BN
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With offense hard to come by for either Oklahoma City or Denver, the Thunder found just enough scoring to salvage a 92-87 road victory in Game 4 on Sunday, tying the Western Conference semifinals series at 2-2.

The Thunder avoided a problematic 3-1 deficit and now Game 5 looms large. The winner of Game 5 in a 2-2 series goes on to win the series 81.3% of the time (192-44), and that game is Tuesday in Oklahoma City (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

What the contest lacked in aesthetics, it made up for in competitiveness. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored nine of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, and he added six rebounds and six assists.

Oklahoma City relied on its bench, outscoring Denver’s reserves 35-8, and Cason Wallace (11 points), Aaron Wiggins (11 points) and Alex Caruso (10 points) helped make up for poor offensive performances from the team's starters not named Gilgeous-Alexander, who made 9-for-12 free throw attempts.

After falling behind 69-63 after three quarters, the Thunder outscored the Nuggets 29-18 in the fourth.

Denver was 25-for-80 from the field (11-for-45 on 3-pointers), and Oklahoma City was 31-for-87 from the field (10-for-41 on 3-pointers).

Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s offensive struggles continued. He had 27 points and 13 rebounds but was just 7-for-22 shooting. Jamal Murray and Christian Braun each scored 17 points, and Aaron Gordon had 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who scored just eight points in the first quarter and 18 points in the fourth.

MORE: NBA playoff bracket: Updated 2025 schedule, times, scores

Thunder vs. Nuggets highlights

End of third quarter: Nuggets 69, Thunder 63

The Nuggets took their first lead of the game, 53-52, on forward Aaron Gordon’s 3-pointer with 6:44 left in the third quarter as they overcame a poor first half offensively and put themselves in position to take a 3-1 series lead with a strong fourth quarter.

Denver outscored Oklahoma City 33-21 in the third quarter for a 69-63 lead headed into the fourth.

Eight of Nuggets guard Jamal Murray’s 13 points came in the third, and center Nikola Jokic found better offense with 11 points in the third for Denver. Jokic has 22 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. After going 3-for-22 on 3s in the first half, the Nuggets were 7-for-11 from that range in the third.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has 16 points, six rebounds and five assists but he is the only Thunder player to reach double digits in points.

End of second quarter: Thunder 42, Nuggets 36

As bad as the Nuggets’ offense was in the first half – with 9:45 left in the second quarter, they were 2-for-24 from the field and 0-for-15 on 3s – the small consolation was they trailed just 42-36 at halftime.

It could’ve been much worse, but Oklahoma City’s offense was only slightly better at 34% from the field and 13.6% (3-for-22) on 3-pointers. Denver ended the half 8-for-38 from the field and 3-for-22 on 3s – that’s a combined 6-for-44 on 3s.

The Nuggets drew fouls and outscored the Thunder 17-7 on free throws.

Oklahoma City MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 15 points and also had six rebounds, and Alex Caruso had nine points off the bench for the Thunder.

Christian Braun led the Nuggets with 11 points, and Denver MVP finalist Nikola Jokic’s offensive struggles continued. He was 8-for-25 shooting (0-for-10 on 3-pointers) in Denver’s Game 3 victory and was 2-for-9 shooting with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals in the first half of Game 4 Sunday. He didn’t make his first shot until 6:12 of the second quarter.

End of first quarter: Thunder 17, Nuggets 8

A frenetic pace and bad offense defined the first quarter.

The teams were a combined 1-for-25 on 3-pointers in the opening 12 minutes, and the Nuggets had made just two field goal attempts in the quarter.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had eight points and five rebounds for the Thunder, and Jamal Murray scored four points. Denver star Nikola Jokic went scoreless in the first quarter but had six rebounds, and teammate Russell Westbrook checked in at the 5:34 mark and was 0-for-6 from the field, including four missed shots in a 59-second span.

The Nuggets were 2-for-22 from the field and 0-for-14 on 3s in the quarter, and their eight points matched the second-fewest points in the first quarter of a playoff game. The 25 combined points matched the fewest points by two teams in the first quarter of a playoff game.

Thunder-Nuggets Game 4 starting lineups

Thunder

  • Jalen Williams
  • Chet Holmgren
  • Isaiah Hartenstein
  • Lu Dort
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Nuggets

  • Michael Porter Jr.
  • Aaron Gordon
  • Nikola Jokic
  • Christian Braun
  • Jamal Murray

What time is Nuggets vs. Thunder?

Game 4 between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 10 at Ball Arena in Denver.

Watch Nuggets vs. Thunder Game 3 on Fubo

How to watch Nuggets vs. Thunder playoff game: TV, stream

  • Date: Sunday, May 11
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Ball Arena in Denver
  • TV: ESPN
  • Stream: Fubo (free trial to new subscribers)

Nuggets vs. Thunder NBA playoff schedule, results

(All times Eastern; *if necessary)

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