The Denver Nuggets were right on the cusp of going up 3-1. However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder found something within. They overturned an 8-point deficit to even the series. But this game didn’t feature the best of either team. With only a 36-hour layoff from their overtime battle. It was a battle of endurance. The Nuggets, in particular, only scored 8 points in the first quarter, while OKC managed 17.

Clearly, fatigue played a major role in tonight’s game. Denver’s coach, David Adelman, felt “both teams were very tired coming off an unbelievably physical overtime battle on a late Friday night”. Likewise, reporters were curious to know whether they felt the NBA could have done a better job with their scheduling.

However, despite another poor shooting performance, Nikola Jokic didn’t want to use insufficient recovery as an excuse. “I mean, not much to be honest in my opinion because uh when I play, I don’t think about that. So, not a lot,” the three-time MVP said about fatigue affecting his performance. 

He only shot 31.85% from the floor. Additionally, neither team managed to shoot over 25% from beyond the arc. In Jamal Murray’s view, the players felt soreness. But he alludes to it ‘almost being summer’ rather than the limited rest for the players. The same can’t be said for Aaron Gordon, who felt the league could have worked out the logistics better.

“Absolutely. You have an 8:30 game that goes into overtime. And then you have a 1:00 p.m. game and 36 hours turnaround playing the highest level of basketball that you can possibly play. But it’s part of it, you know, that’s something that we got to get through,” the Nuggets forward said about its impact.

This deep in the season and coming off a high-octane overtime game, it was clear that both the Thunder and the Nuggets could have used some more rest. However, despite the situation, David Adelman felt his team fought. However, OKC’s one strength propelled them to a victory today.

OKC wins from a fourth quarter flurry

The Nuggets, although battered, managed to enjoy an incredible third quarter. The team came back from a 15-point deficit, led by their blazing three-point shooting. With an eight-point lead in a particularly low-scoring game, the Nuggets looked destined to defend their home court for the second straight game.

But the Thunder came out with force in the fourth quarter.

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Specifically, Adelman thought the Thunder’s bench stepped up hugely in their comeback win. “I just really thought the difference was those guys, give them credit, you know, Caruso, uh, Wiggins, and Wallace. Those shots were the difference. You know, we got up eight through pure effort and energy, not necessarily playing well, and those guys made a huge impact,” the Nuggets head coach added.

Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace helped shift the momentum to the Thunder’s favor. They hit 3 triples in between them in a matter of minutes in the fourth, igniting the Thunder’s fightback. From there on, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took over in the clutch. He hit three difficult shots to put OKC at an advantage.

Their fire burned too bright in the face of the Nuggets, who found no answer. After making 7 threes in the previous quarter, they went cold. The Nuggets only hit one of their 12 threes in the fourth quarter, shooting just 30.4% from the field. In what was a test of conditioning, the Nuggets’ third-quarter rally was their final burst.

Adelman thought that would be enough to clinch a victory. But it was OKC who kept their energy for the late game and executed flawlessly to level the series. With it being anyone’s series now, who would you pick in the battle of these Western Conference giants? Let us know your views in the comments below.