Until the end of the third quarter, it looked like the OKC Thunder had lost their eighth game against the Denver Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. had different ideas for the Nuggets. An impressive comeback led by Denver’s stars contributed to its 124-122 victory, ending OKC’s winning streak. With six minutes left in the third quarter, OKC led 84-73. Center Chet Holmgren and star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had OKC cooking at every level and while the lead was surmountable, they looked comfortable.

That feeling of comfort didn’t last long, as the duo of Jokic and Porter led a comeback to give OKC a scare. Porter did a great job getting to the free throw line in that sequence and Jokic did what he does best, put his buckets in the paint. Combine that with a dry streak from OKC and by the end of the quarter the two teams were tied at 95.

Once again, the first half was entirely led by the Thunder. Jalen Williams posted 15 to lead the way and Holmgren was right behind. OKC was shooting just well enough to maintain a middling lead, but as usual, it was clicking on the defensive side of the ball.

Surprisingly, Nuggets veteran guard Russell Westbrook ended up putting in a massive performance. He finished with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists, which was by far his best game of the start of the season. Without his performance, Denver would surely have been out of the game. His acrobatic finishes and 75% three-point night were the key factors in his remarkable game.

As the fourth quarter began, it was clear that the game would come down to the wire and that Denver would test the composure of this young team to maintain their winning streak. Westbrook scored the first three points of the final period with an and-one layup, followed by a triple from Porter and then two more from Westbrook. It wasn’t uninterrupted scoring, with Gilgeous-Alexander getting to the rim and sophomore guard Cason Wallace doing the same shortly after.

Both teams rebounded, with Denver taking a seven-point lead with 3:24 remaining. Peyton Watson gave Denver that lead, and the unbeaten streak appeared to be the most in jeopardy it had ever seen thus far. Denver remained comfortably in the lead thanks to their relentless defensive pressure.

With 1:44 remaining and trailing by six, Gilgeous-Alexander dribbled the ball with his foot and committed a backcourt violation. Watson made another layup and extended the lead to eight, but Williams responded with a mid-range putback and a transition three. The pressure was on OKC from that point on to stop. In a scrambled game with the shot clock winding down and less than 30 seconds remaining in total, Jokic was fouled, giving the Nuggets the ball, but only going one-on-two. A quick layup from Gilgeous-Alexander made the game even more interesting.

After missing two free throws, Watson would be called upon on the final defensive possession of the game for the Nuggets, up two. Gilgeous-Alexander came onto the court, drove to the basket and was denied by Watson to seal the game for the Nuggets.

OKC fell to 7-1 this season with its first loss and was led by Williams with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, posting a near triple-double. Despite missing the final bucket, Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and six assists for the Thunder.

The next game for OKC is at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, November 8 against the Houston Rockets.

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