The Denver Nuggets suffered a painful 129-126 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Monday, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivering the killer blow with his game-winning three-pointer.
The Nuggets have now dropped all three of their games against the Thunder this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander had another MVP-type performance with 35 points, nine rebounds, 15 assists, one steal and one block. He had no turnovers.
Christian Braun, who was tasked with protecting the SGA, admitted he didn’t do his job well, as The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports.
“He busted me tonight. That last game, I knew I played well and got a block in a big moment. Tonight, he made a shot in a big moment. He made a couple of them. I know I’m going to play him again. I’m going to play him in the playoffs,” Braun said.
Durando said the 24-year-old guard told his teammates he was to blame for their tough loss.
“When I do a good job on him (Gilgeous-Alexander), like I did (in the last game), we have a good chance to win those games. But tonight, I wasn’t that good. He’s 14 for 21. Whenever he’s that efficient, they’ll have a better chance to win,” Braun said.
The Thunder defeated the Nuggets 127-121 in overtime last month. SGA scored 36 points on 12-of-29 shooting, including 0-3 from beyond the arc. This was his first game after being sidelined for a long time due to an abdominal strain.
Bron played 38 minutes on Monday, the second-most on the Nuggets behind Nikola Jokic’s 40 minutes. Focusing mostly on defense, he scored only four points on six attempts. He added nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
The Nuggets will face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
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