Jokic quiet, Jamal struggles, Johnson hurt as Nuggets debut fades in worst offensive game since 2019

Oct 22, 2026, 10:48 PM

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The stars were not out on opening night in Oklahoma City. The Nuggets and Thunder slugged it out for three quarters before OKC’s sparkling defense got the best of the visitors, 96-84, on Thursday at Paycom Center.

It didn’t matter that Denver’s defense nearly silenced two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, ending his streak of 141 straight regular-season games with at least 20 points. The streak didn’t count the playoffs where the Nuggets had done that before, but it did top Wilt Chamberlain’s run from the early 1960s. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting

Alpha Diallo and Christian Braun took turns on SGA, he went 0 for 7 from the field in the first half and had just two points at the break. Since the bubble, the only other time he was held without a first-half field goal was in October 2023, another game in OKC hosting the Nuggets.

None of that mattered, because Denver’s top dogs either struggled or disappeared. Jamal Murray had just six points on 2-of-11 shooting with six turnovers. Nikola Jokic was held to 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

In the second half, the Nuggets’ offense was a mess. The organization fell apart and so did the spacing, likely made worse by losing Cameron Johnson to a right ankle sprain late in the first half. Johnson played 11:20 and scored five points before leaving, and he didn’t return.

Denver’s offensive problems turned into offense for the Thunder. After committing one turnover in a strong first quarter, the Nuggets finished with 22 turnovers, which led to 21 Thunder points. OKC kept running the other way, often without needing to get the ball to SGA. The Thunder won fast-break points 10-2, and Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace combined for nine steals.

Making matters worse, without Johnson the Nuggets couldn’t buy a 3-pointer to mount a comeback. Denver went 8 for 30 from deep, and two of those came after the starters were pulled with 1:43 left. The Nuggets also struggled from the line at 14-22 and a promising rebounding first half faded — all resulting in the Thunder getting 11 more shots up than the Nuggets in the second half.

The offensive numbers rank among the worst of the Jokic era. Denver’s 84 points tied its lowest total since February 2019. Its 37.8% shooting was its worst since the 2024 season opener against Oklahoma City (35.7%), when the Nuggets also scored 36 second-half points and finished with 87. Denver had 17 assists and 22 turnovers, just the fourth time since the start of the 2018-19 season the Nuggets had more turnovers than assists. Their assist-to-turnover ratio was their worst since March 2, 2018.

But it was a great start until it wasn’t. The Nuggets led 48-44 at halftime even though Jokic and Murray combined to shoot 5 for 22. Aaron Gordon brought the physicality all night, finishing with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 4 from deep. Rookie Trevon Brazile grabbed 12 rebounds in 18 minutes, most in the first half as the Nuggets just out-windexed OKC.

A bench group without Jokic even pushed the lead to nine early in the second quarter.

“I just thought the defense really held up,” Adelman said. “Alpha out there impacting the ball. … And then DeRozan does what he does. He’s 13 points.”

But around halftime is when it got bad. Denver led 60-55 midway through the third quarter after Jokic finished a fast-break dunk. OKC closed the quarter on a 15-4 run, capped by a Gilgeous-Alexander 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left for a 70-64 lead. The Thunder kept going in the fourth and built their lead to 17, while Denver gave the ball away eight more times for 14 OKC points. With OKC packing the paint, the rebounding edge disappeared too: the teams split the second-half boards 25-25.

The second half looked a lot like the collapses Denver had against Minnesota and in last year’s playoffs. It also brought back a familiar problem: the starters can’t stay on the floor together. Denver’s starting five went 18-5 last season in the rare games when all five played. Spencer Jones, an important backup whom Adelman called “full go” a day earlier, was inactive for hamstring injury management. Then Johnson went down.

“It was too bad because … those guys have finally found a rhythm playing together,” Adelman said. “And now I was throwing lineups out there that literally had not played together even through training camp.”

Adelman called Johnson’s injury “a minor thing” and said, “I think Cam will be okay.”

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said his team followed its defensive plan.

“We made them earn everything,” he said. “Thought the guys did a great job on a night we didn’t shoot it great.”

A day earlier, Adelman said he liked being the underdog. “Vegas doesn’t think we have a chance,” he said, and he called chasing “a good thing for our guys.”

After one night, the Nuggets know how far behind they are.