Okay, NBA fans, buckle up. Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder wasn’t just a blowout — it was like watching a heavyweight champ get tangled up in a game of hopscotch with a speedster half his size. The spotlight? None other than Nikola Jokic, the three-time MVP, who suddenly looked more confused than a referee at a Magic Johnson no-look pass convention.

So here’s the scoop: Jokic was matched up against Alex Caruso, who’s about 100 pounds lighter and probably could fit in Jokic’s backpack. If you thought that sounded like a David vs. Goliath remix, you’re not wrong — except here, David played lockdown defense so well, you’d swear he was the NBA’s own version of Bruce Lee.

What went wrong for Jokic? Instead of using his usual size and silky footwork to bully Caruso into the paint, Nikola seemed way too worried about initiating contact. Imagine a giant trying to delicately tap a ninja and getting disarmed every time. Caruso used that hesitation like a cheat code — poking, poking, and disrupting Jokic’s rhythm like a pesky fly on a hot summer day.

By the time the dust settled with 9:36 left in the fourth, the Thunder were up 106-74 — and they didn’t stop there. They went on a 9-2 run, turning defense into offense so smoothly, it looked like they were running a basketball-themed version of Cirque du Soleil. After Denver pulled its starters post-timeout, the writing was on the wall—or the scoreboard, which read a not-so-friendly 119-82 in OKC’s favor.

Stat nerd alert: Jokic finished with 20 points on 5-for-9 shooting, which sounds decent until you realize his shooting percentage fell faster than Steph Curry’s ankles after a sneaky defender’s ankle breaker. Plus, his efficiency took a hit thanks to Caruso’s defensive wizardry, who finished with 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting and a nifty 3 steals. Caruso didn’t just guard Jokic; he put him in a full lockdown bubble wrap.

Nuggets’ Shooting: More Brick Than Building

The Nuggets as a team looked like they forgot the playbook at home. Denver shot just 39.3%  overall, which is about as effective as trying to nail a buzzer-beater with a wet spaghetti noodle. Jamal Murray, usually a reliable scorer, was struggling too — a mere 37.5% from the floor and 12.5% from deep. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was cooking like it was a summer BBQ, torching Denver for 35 points on 63% shooting, leading OKC to a dominant 125-93 win.

Denver’s defense was practically Swiss cheese, with the Thunder forcing 17 turnovers. By the end of the third quarter, the scoreboard read Thunder 97, Nuggets 72 — a gap so wide it could be seen from space (or at least from the OKC bench). The Thunder were relentless, pushing the lead to as many as 27 points.

Despite all the chaos, credit to Denver for fighting through injuries and a historically tough OKC defense. But when your best player’s matchup turns into a circus sideshow starring a smaller, scrappier defender, you know it’s going to be a long night. Jokic’s performance was a stark reminder that basketball isn’t always about size; sometimes it’s about who’s quicker, smarter, and more annoying on defense.

So what’s the takeaway here? The Thunder’s defensive strategy was a textbook example of how to neutralize a superstar. And Caruso? He might not be the biggest, but in this series, he was the biggest headache for Denver.

For Nuggets fans, the bitter pill to swallow is that OKC’s deeper, fresher squad — led by Shai’s clinical finishing and Caruso’s pesky defense — was just too much to handle. As the Thunder march to the Western Conference Finals, Denver will be left wondering how a 100-pound difference turned into a 40-point beatdown.

In the end, this Game 7 was less “Nikola Jokic show” and more “Caruso cameo” — and not in a good way for the Nuggets.