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Oklahoma City. — The Denver Nuggets started their path in the Western Conference semifinals strongly. With a decisive three-pointer by Aaron Gordon in the final seconds, the reigning champions defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119 in Game 1 of the series, silencing the Paycom Center and snatching home-court advantage from the league's top seed.
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Nikola Jokic had a monumental performance, with 42 points, 22 rebounds, and absolute control of the game's pace. Gordon, the unexpected hero of the night, sealed the victory after receiving a precise assist from Russell Westbrook, who returned to Oklahoma City in the playoffs as a rival for the first time. Gordon finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
"Those are the moments we work for all year," Gordon said. "Russ found the pass, and I just trusted the shot."
Denver capitalized on a costly miss by Chet Holmgren from the free-throw line, with the Thunder leading by one. The home team, with no timeouts remaining, couldn't reorganize after Gordon's three-pointer and missed a desperate shot as the clock expired.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shined with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists for Oklahoma City, which was coming off a first-round sweep and looked somewhat rusty after more than a week without playing. Alex Caruso added 20 points and six assists.
Jamal Murray contributed 21 units for Denver, which comes from a grueling seven-game series against the Clippers, concluded just on Saturday.
With this victory, the Nuggets take a 1-0 lead in the series and send a clear message: they will not give up their crown easily.
Game 2 will be played this Wednesday, again in Oklahoma City.
