NBA 2018/19: 3 talking points from the Thunder's loss to the Nuggets
Heading into the game against the Nuggets, OKC had won 8 out of their last 10 games and sat second in the Western Conference. Both the Nuggets and Thunder had won 12 games, so the matchup provided an interesting look at where the Thunder were compared to one of their main rivals in the West.
The Nuggets raced into a commanding 63-42 half-time lead, although the Thunder performed much better in the second half and managed to cut the Nuggets' lead down to 5. OKC were however made to pay for poor shot selection late on in the fourth, and eventually fell to a 105-98 home defeat.
This was just the Thunder's third defeat in 15 games, so here are the three talking points from the disappointing defeat to their Western rivals.
#3 Alex Abrines' struggles continue
After Alex Abrines hit a career-high 25 points against the Clippers back at the start of November, many Thunder fans expected the Spaniard to step up and become an important player on the team. Despite this, Abrines featured for just eight minutes in the defeat, missing both of his three-point attempts.
The 25-year-old is the Thunder's best shooter aside from Paul George, and Abrines' poor form is hurting the team's offense. Hopefully, the shooting guard can re-discover his shot in the coming weeks, as the team is missing his ability to knock down open threes.