OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets player stats and box score (Oct. 24) | 2024-25 NBA season

The OKC Thunder and Denver Nuggets opened their 2024-25 NBA season on Thursday in Mile High City. Oklahoma, which won last year’s season series 3-1, continued its dominance over the host. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP runner-up last season, and Chet Holmgren led the visitors to a 102-87 win.

The seesaw battle in the first half ended when "SGA" and Holmgren outscored Denver 21-17 in the third quarter. OKC's superstar point guard efficiently orchestrated the offense and made Holmgren's life easier with pinpoint passing. The Thunder defense stepped up to contain Nikola Jokic and Co.

Jokic finished with 16 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds, two steals and one block. Denver's starters were solid, but the Nuggets hardly got anything from the bench. Mike Malone's non-starters labored and managed to score 16 points in the entire game.

OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets player stats and box score

OKC Thunder player stats and box score

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
C. Holmgren	25	14	5	2	4	2	11-18	0-5	3-5	+9
Jal. Williams	12	3	3	0	3	5	5-16	2-8	0-1	0
S. Gilgeous-Alexander	28	7	8	3	3	2	11-24	2-6	4-5	+8
I. Joe	7	2	1	0	0	0	3-10	1-6	0-0	+3
L. Dort	5	2	0	3	1	0	2-7	0-2	1-1	-1
A. Flagler	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0
D. Jones	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	0
O. Dieng	6	3	0	0	0	0	2-4	2-3	0-0	+14
A. Caruso	0	6	4	0	0	1	0-2	0-1	0-0	+19
A. Wiggins	15	6	1	0	2	1	7-9	1-2	0-0	+6
A. Ducas	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0
C. Wallace	4	4	0	1	0	0	2-7	0-1	0-0	+18
A. Mitchell	0	1	1	0	0	1	0-3	0-1	0-0	-1
A. Reese	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Denver Nuggets player stats and box score

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
A. Gordon	12	9	2	1	0	2	5-12	0-1	2-2	-4
M. Porter Jr.	15	8	2	1	0	2	5-17	3-10	2-2	-2
N. Jokic	16	12	13	2	1	2	6-13	1-3	3-4	-9
J. Murray	12	6	4	2	0	3	4-14	2-6	2-2	-2
C. Braun	16	7	1	2	2	3	8-15	0-3	0-0	+8
D. Saric	2	1	0	1	0	0	1-2	0-1	0-0	-6
Z. Nnaji	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	0
H. Tyson	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	0
P. Watson	2	6	1	0	2	0	1-7	0-4	0-0	-13
V. Cancar	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0
R. Westbrook	6	5	5	1	2	2	2-10	1-6	1-4	-24
J. Pickett	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	0
J. Strawther	6	0	1	1	0	1	3-6	0-2	0-0	-23
T. Alexander	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0
D. Jordan	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

OKC Thunder vs Denver Nuggets: Game Summary

Oklahoma's three turnovers early helped the Denver Nuggets to a fast start. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray hummed early before the Thunder surged late in the first quarter to take a 31-24 lead.

The Nuggets did their job on offense but their defense couldn't step up. "SGA" went wherever he wanted to go and Chet Holmgren was a nuisance on the offensive glass. Denver's bench struggled when reigning MVP Nikola Jokic wasn't on the court. After two quarters, the home team trailed 58-51.

The third quarter of the Nuggets-Thunder game became the Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander show. They scored Oklahoma’s first 11 points and combined for 21 in the period. “SGA” handed five assists to the lanky center in the quarter. The Thunder’s defense limited the Nuggets to 17 points. OKC entered the final frame holding an 85-68 advantage.

The Nuggets tried to rally in the fourth quarter but the Thunder answered every run. Denver coach Mike Malone raised the white flag with a little under two minutes as the visitors cruised to an impressive road win.