Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 36 points in his return from an abdominal injury as OKC defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime in a heated NBA game on Friday night.
The reigning MVP missed nine games before returning to the lineup and he didn’t play in overtime, but the Thunder still secured the win in overtime.
Nikola Jokic finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists for Denver. He was involved in a fourth-quarter altercation with Lu Dort, who was ejected after being caught for a Flagrant 2 foul.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 39 points after being listed as questionable due to an illness.
Gilgeous-Alexander was assessed a technical foul early after throwing the ball to Jokic after contact following a whistle, and Denver’s bench was also assessed a technical foul in the third quarter.
OKC trailed 59-50 at halftime as Denver shot 11 of 20 from three-point range. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 14 in the third quarter to help OKC rally.
Dort’s three-pointer in the fourth gave the Thunder an 86-85 lead before the tension ran high.
The game was tied at 107 points at the end of regulation before OKC pulled away in overtime to improve its record in a tightly contested NBA rivalry.
