The Oklahoma City Thunder were missing several key guys heading into another high-intensity contest against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. They did not include Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, to name a few. But as long as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on the court, the Thunder are almost impossible to stop.
Try as the Nuggets might, Gilgeous-Alexander may just have his numbers. Despite Nikola Jokic's best efforts to save the Nuggets from dead, the Thunder ultimately won 129-126, thanks to Bonkers Game-Winning Stepback Triple From the current MVP.
With 8.5 seconds left in the game, Gilgeous-Alexander received the ball from Ajay Mitchell out of bounds. The reigning MVP had Spencer Jones draped over him, but it didn't matter. Gilgeous-Alexander then stepped on Jones before stopping on a dime and then pulled to his right for a tough game-winning triple from which the Nuggets could not come back.
sga for the win
mvp momentpic.twitter.com/SXn8Oun6Ck
- Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) 10 March 2026
There were about two seconds left on the clock after Gilgeous-Alexander made a three, but the Nuggets no longer had any timeouts. As a result, Aaron Gordon had to throw a layup from approximately 90 feet, which missed the left side of the rim.
This game once again had playoff intensity written all over it, and it will be a treat for neutral observers to see these two heavyweights lose once again in the postseason stage.
Thunder remain the team to beat thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander has a lot of critics due to being an alleged free-throw merchant. But make no mistake, he is the best pure scorer in the NBA. He can reach his location at will, and remains efficient no matter who guards him. His entire life has been consistent, as he once said, and it shows: He has now scored 20 points or more in 126 consecutive games.
In the win over the Nuggets, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists in a complete destruction of the Thunder's biggest rival.
