Following humiliation in Game 2, the Denver Nuggets looked determined to defend their home floor. The crowd’s chants of ‘defense’ in those final moments inspired them to bounce back and take a 2-1 lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their overtime thriller saw both teams’ defense have their moments. The MVPs, Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both struggled to establish their dominance. And although the Joker got the victory, it was SGA who left the arena with a beaming smile.

It wasn’t a typical showing from the Thunder’s pillar. The scoring juggernaut only produced 18 points while shooting just 31.8% from the floor. His challenge was amplified by a hostile Ball Arena crowd, which highlighted every miss. And after going scoreless in overtime, the rabid crowd only increased their hostility.

But that’s the exact reason he left the building, smiling from ear to ear. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took the loss to his chin, but he hasn’t surrendered just yet. In fact, he is feasting on the crowd’s jars and is preparing for a fitting response.

“Some fans were taunting me. And I know how the game goes. I know how life is. It’s easy to talk when you’re up, and I don’t ever want to show them that I’m defeated or mad or anything like that. Nothing’s written. The series isn’t over,” the Oklahoma City Thunder cornerstone said after the game.

This comes a day after the incident with Draymond Green. While warming up on the stationary bike, a fan and the Warriors forward had a match of words during their Game 2 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But while these fan incidents aren’t uncommon in the playoffs, SGA’s comments aren’t just to stick it to them.

With how closely matched both teams look, the series could still sway in any direction. But tonight belonged to the Denver Nuggets. Even with the Joker shooting 0-10 from beyond the arc, every other player rose to the occasion. Three of their other starters scored over 20 points. Most importantly, though, they raised the bar defensively.

Jalen Williams was the Thunder’s only efficient scorer. Rest of the starters shot under 40%. However, it’s not going to be difficult for the Thunder’s decorated offense to get past any particular defensive setting. Moreover, they have managed to actually curb the Nuggets’ biggest strength.

The Thunder aren’t far from turning this series around

Nuggets fans have the right to rejoice over their Game 3 victory at home. Their team completed the most important task during the postseason – winning games at home. However, when going into the depth of this series, Denver has won largely because of the success of the cast besides Jokic.

Of course, the Joker’s destructive performance can’t be ignored either. But usually, when his teammates leave their imprints on the game, it’s Jokic that’s starting the motion. So far, the Oklahoma City Thunder have prevented that to a large degree. Nikola Jokić averaged just six assists in these three games.

The Thunder’s defense has regularly crammed Jokic in the post, taking away passing lanes. They are forcing an average of 7 turnovers from the Joker. That number was only at 2.8 during their four regular season battles. So for OKC, they have suppressed the Nuggets’ initiator with flying colors.

It’s now about how well their defense can perform in attempts to slow down the dynamic scoring threats the Nuggets possess. Another skid mark is their offense when closing games. In both Game 1 and Game 3, the Thunder averages its fewest points in the fourth quarter, at least seven points fewer than the first three quarters. The Nuggets have managed to outscore them by at least five points in that period.

So although the series is separated by fine factors, there’s still a lot to fix for OKC. But with Game 4 looming, a pivotal matchup to win, can they make those fixes in time?