The Denver Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime in Game 3 in the Western Conference Semifinals at Ball Arena on Friday. The Thunder had plenty of opportunities to win that game but failed to capitalize, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took responsibility for the defeat in his postgame press conference.
“In those moments when the game slows down, it usually comes down to your best players making shots and making plays,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight, and I think that’s the main reason for the outcome. Yeah, so I think it’s more so that than anything to be honest.”
Considering the circumstances, Gilgeous-Alexander put in arguably his worst performance of the season in Game 3. The 26-year-old had 18 points (7-22 FG), 13 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals against the Nuggets.
Gilgeous-Alexander went 1-8 from the field in the fourth quarter and did not even attempt a shot in overtime. Isaiah Hartenstein took the most shots for the Thunder in the period (0-3), and that’s simply unacceptable when the man who won the scoring title is on the team.
The Thunder did a lot right in this game, but all that good work ended up going to waste. The visitors hauled in 18 offensive rebounds compared to just five for the hosts and also won the turnover battle 16-11. As a result, the Thunder would end up attempting 19 more shots than the Nuggets, and they still lost.
The Thunder also managed to slow down Nikola Jokic, who had 20 points on 8-25 shooting from the field. Jokic had eight turnovers as well, and the Nuggets are not supposed to win a game in which he plays this poorly.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s struggles, though, contributed to the Thunder’s offense never quite clicking into gear here. Jalen Williams was the only one to generate offense on a consistent basis, finishing with 32 points (11-21 FG), three rebounds, and five assists in Game 3. He, too, though, was a no-show after the fourth quarter.
Williams went 0-2 from the field in overtime as the Thunder fell apart in the extra period. They scored just two points in it, and you’d expect them to execute better even with their inexperience.
While Gilgeous-Alexander could be excused for having a bad game, many took offense to him smiling as he walked off the court after the final buzzer. It was a bad look, but the 26-year-old revealed postgame that he was reacting to fans who were taunting him.
“Some fans were taunting me,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “I know how the game goes, I know how life is. It’s easy to taunt when you’re up. I don’t ever want to show them that I’m defeated or mad or anything like that. Nothing’s written, the series is not over, and we have a lot to be optimistic about.”
Gilgeous-Alexander once again stated that he didn’t perform well down the stretch, but added he has a couple of opportunities to make up for it. The first one will be Game 4 at Ball Arena on Sunday at 3:30 PM ET. The Nuggets go into it with a 2-1 lead, and another win would see them have one foot in the Western Conference Finals.
