A Tale of Two Halves: Nuggets Open Season With the Best of Starts and the Worst of Finishes

The Denver Nuggets suffered a 96-84 season-opening loss on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Denver held a 48-44 lead at halftime after holding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander without a field goal in the first half. However, Oklahoma City surged back in the second half, outscoring the Nuggets by 16 points over the final two quarters as Denver struggled offensively, shooting just 38 percent from the floor.

Aaron Gordon led Denver with 20 points, while Nikola Jokic and DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points apiece, and rookie Trevon Brazile recorded 12 rebounds. Oklahoma City's Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 17 points, ending his 141-game streak of scoring at least 20 points. DNVR Sports noted that Denver's offensive struggles wasted a strong defensive effort, which was further compounded by starting forward Cam Johnson sustaining a right ankle sprain.