It has been a strange postseason. Home teams haven’t been able to find a way to victory. Over a three-day stretch that began Sunday, home-court advantage meant nothing, as road teams went a perfect 6-0. For the first time in NBA history, all four road teams won Game 1 of the conference semifinals. However, on Wednesday, Oklahoma restored some normalcy. After dropping Game 1 to ‘The Joker’ from Denver, something snapped. Game 2 wasn’t just a response, it was a carnage. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lit the fuse with 18 points in the first half, orchestrating a symphony of scoring that left Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets scrambling. 

The Thunder roared back in emphatic fashion, demolishing Denver 149-106 to even the series at 1-1. Their explosive performance left them just eight points short of the all-time playoff scoring record—Boston’s 157-point outburst against New York back in 1990. The 149 points not only set a new franchise postseason record but also served as the perfect answer to their Game 1 collapse, when they let an 11-point lead slip away in the final five minutes. As if the blowout wasn’t statement enough, Oklahoma City etched another piece of history into the books before the night was over.

By halftime, the Thunder had hung 87 points on the Nuggets—a number that shattered NBA playoff history as the most points ever scored in any half. It equalled the most points in any half of a playoff game, with Milwaukee scoring 87 against Denver on April 23, 1978. But that’s not all.

Oklahoma City made history as the first team to record two postseason wins by 40 points or more, adding to their dominant 131-80 victory over Memphis in Game 1 of their opening-round series. Against Denver, the stat sheet told the story with brutal honesty.

With 9:20 left in the third quarter, OKC was shooting 57.1% from the field, hitting 95% of their free throws, dominating the boards 28–18, dishing out 18 assists, and committing just 2 turnovers. At that point, they weren’t just winning—they were rewriting the postseason rulebook. To truly grasp the absurdity: on the same night, the defending champion Celtics could barely muster 90 points in four quarters against the Knicks. What took Boston 48 minutes, OKC nearly did in 24.

But this wasn’t just the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander show. While Shai dropped a smooth 34 by the fourth, five of his teammates were right there with him in double figures, creating chaos with every possession. Denver? They looked stunned. Staggered. With 6:44 left in the game — yes, with time still on the clock — the Thunder were up 133-90. That’s a 43-point lead, just 15 points shy of the biggest blowout in NBA history.

Thunder were all over Denver. In the first half, ten Thunder players got on the board, with six of them scoring in double digits. By the end of the game, that number had risen to 14 scorers overall, and each of the five starters had at least 12 points on the board. After the game, Denver interim coach David Adelman acknowledged the offensive prowess of their opponents.

“This is a team that does that. There’s a reason why they have historic plus-minus numbers throughout the season as they put people away. So you’ve got to have a much better start than that. We can’t come out like that,” he said.

Meanwhile, the reigning MVP Nikola Jokić was stuck in quicksand, shooting 6-of-16 for just 17 points. The Nuggets had only four players even crack double digits. OKC didn’t just beat the Mile-High City — they humiliated them. 

The Burgeoning Rivalry: Jokić vs. Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2024-2025 Playoffs

However, this doesn’t mean that Jokić and Co. can’t make a comeback. And this brings us to the 2024-2025 NBA season, where a rivalry is taking shape that promises to define the league for years to come—Nikola Jokić vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Western Conference playoff showdown between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder has escalated into a clash of two basketball forces at their peak.

Jokić, with his otherworldly playmaking and endurance, has been the heart of the Nuggets. Averaging 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 10.2 assists (in the regular season) continues to redefine the center position, leading his team through the grind of multiple intense playoff battles. His playoff performances have been legendary, such as his 42-point, 22-rebound Game 1 masterpiece against Phoenix, a feat unmatched since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. His ability to power through fatigue and elevate his game in crunch moments is unmatched.

On the other hand, Gilgeous-Alexander has exploded onto the scene, leading the league in scoring with an average of 32.7 points per game (in the regular season). His explosive offensive play was instrumental in OKC’s historic 68-win season, and he propelled the Thunder to the top seed in the West. Gilgeous-Alexander’s dazzling play was on full display when he led the Thunder to an astonishing 87-point first half in Game 2 of the series, the most in NBA postseason history.

Their head-to-head matchup in the Western Conference semifinals in 2024-2025 has become the ultimate test of contrasting styles. Jokić’s methodical control and vision battle Gilgeous-Alexander’s frenetic pace and scoring dynamism. As the series progresses, the rivalry between these two MVP-caliber stars promises to only intensify, marking a new era for the NBA. This is not just a battle for the Western Conference crown; it’s a showdown that could shape the future of the league.