The Denver Nuggets had a hard-fought battle in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Monday, the Nikola Jokic-led team won, 121-119, to gain a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven playoff series. One of the biggest reasons for their victory was Jokic’s efforts against the Thunder. He finished with a historic statline of 42 points, 22 rebounds and six assists on 51.7 percent shooting from the field.
Denver was behind for the majority of the game, but Jokic kept the team close. The margin for the Thunder increased to 14 points. But in the closing seconds of the game, the Nuggets took control.
After the victory, Jokic talked about the team’s collective effort despite the mistakes they made in the game.
“We find a way, It’s never perfect, we never — we make mistakes. We are down, we make stupid mistakes. But we find a way,” Jokic said.
“I was a little bit not aggressive… and then I figured out the team wants me to be aggressive and I’m trying to help the team win the game.”
Nikola Jokić after his 42/22 night: “the team wants me to be aggressive and I’m trying to help the team win the game.” pic.twitter.com/inWPZoWafZ
— Katy Winge (@katywinge) May 6, 2025
Jokic’s performance has even surprised his teammates. Jamal Murray, who finished with 21 points on 37.5 percent shooting from the field, talked about how he often feels numb playing next to one of the best centers in the league.
“I know I’m playing with a future Hall of Famer. Dude’s incredible. His game’s nearly unstoppable, that’s why I try to give him the ball almost every time…” Murray said. “He does this so often, people are kinda numb to it. I’m looking up in the game and all of a sudden I see 42, I’m like, ‘Damn, I forgot. Keep giving the ball to him.'”
"I'm looking up at the game and all of a sudden I see 42, I'm like 'damn'!" 🤣
Jamal Murray talks Jokić's incredible impact in Game 1 with the Fellas 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Ko4v5XQjRG
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 6, 2025
Jokic continues to play well to lead his team to another playoff victory. Game 2 will be on Wednesday, and the Nuggets will try to secure a 2-0 lead in the series.
Aaron Gordon’s late-game heroics led to the eventual Game 1 victory for the Denver Nuggets
Aaron Gordon stepped up big time for the Denver Nuggets late in the fourth quarter. With the clock winding down, the Nuggets secured the ball after Chet Holmgren missed the free throw. Veteran guard Russell Westbrook led the charge and pushed the pace to break the defense inside.
Following that, he found Gordon trailing and gave him the ball. With no hesitation, the high-flying forward shot a 3-pointer, which sealed the victory for Denver.
“The right play is the open man, Russ makes the right play a lot of times. I saw the paint is clogged, I thought that was gonna be the best look that we were gonna get,” Gordon said.
"The right play is the open man" 💯
Aaron Gordon walks @stephanieready through his SECOND game-winner of these #NBAPlayoffs 👏 pic.twitter.com/kSsb4ighmu
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 6, 2025
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
