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Back to NBA games · Oct 22, 2026

Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder, Oct 22, 2026

NBA · 2026-27Oct 22, 2026 · FinalRegular season

Denver Nuggets

84AT

Oklahoma City Thunder

96
Thunder vs Nuggets: every meeting
STORY

Final

From the verified box score; records count this game

The BreakdownGrind

Nuggets won the glass, but the Thunder kept the ball

Denver and Oklahoma City shot within a tenth of a point of each other, and the Thunder won by 12 with 22 Nuggets turnovers on the other side of the ledger.

NightlyHoops desk · The BreakdownWritten by AI (Claude Opus 5.5) from the box score and play-by-play. Every number and name was checked against them.

The two teams shot nearly identical percentages, and Oklahoma City won by 12. The Thunder beat the Nuggets 96-84 on Thursday after trailing 48-44 at halftime.

Denver led by as many as nine in the second quarter. The Thunder answered with an 8-0 run that spanned halftime and ended in a 48-48 tie. Ajay Mitchell's running layup put them ahead for good at 62-64 with 2:06 left in the third, and the lead reached 17 with 1:44 to play.

Side by side
DENStatOKC
37.8FG%37.9
26.73PT%25.6
53Rebounds46
19Off. rebounds16
82FG attempts95
22Turnovers12
From the box score. A dot marks a row where the teams are far apart.

The shooting was a wash

Denver made 37.8% of its field goals. Oklahoma City made 37.9%.

From three, the Nuggets hit 26.7% and the Thunder 25.6%. Nikola Jokić went 5 for 19. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went 6 for 19, and 10 of his 17 points came in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder's top scorer, Jalen Williams, finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists on 7-of-15 shooting. He opened with 10 in the first quarter, including eight straight Oklahoma City points.

Denver won the glass

The Nuggets grabbed 53 rebounds to Oklahoma City's 46. On the offensive boards it was 19 to 16.

Trevon Brazile pulled down 12 off the Denver bench, and Jamal Murray added 10. For the Thunder, Chet Holmgren had 17 rebounds, nine of them offensive. He also blocked four shots.

Oklahoma City held on to the ball

Denver turned it over 22 times. Oklahoma City turned it over 12 times.

Murray had six turnovers and DeMar DeRozan five. On the other side, Mitchell had five steals and Cason Wallace four, and the Thunder finished with 12 steals to Denver's 7.

The attempts followed the same line. Oklahoma City took 95 shots from the field. Denver took 82.

DeRozan scored six straight Nuggets points midway through the fourth, and Denver still trailed 72-81 when he finished. Late threes from DaRon Holmes II and Ryan Nembhard came after the Thunder's lead had reached 17, and Nembhard's layup with 0:10.3 left set the final at 84-96.

Who led, and by how much Hover or tap for the score at any moment

DEN ahead above the line · OKC ahead below

20101020Q1Q2Q3Q4DEN by 9OKC by 17
The margin through the game, from the play-by-play. Above the line DEN leads; below it, OKC.
Sources: the fact sheet this story was written from
  • GAME: Denver Nuggets (DEN) at Oklahoma City Thunder (OKC), Thursday, October 22, 2026, in Oklahoma City. NBA regular season.
  • FINAL: Thunder 96, Nuggets 84. (DEN 84, OKC 96.) Final margin: 12.
  • POINTS BY QUARTER: DEN 27 21 16 20; OKC 24 20 26 26.
  • SCORE AT THE END OF EACH PERIOD (DEN-OKC): Q1 27-24, Q2 48-44, Q3 64-70, Q4 84-96.
  • HALVES: first half, Nuggets 48, Thunder 44; second half, Nuggets 36, Thunder 52.
  • LARGEST LEADS: DEN 9 (37-28, 7:47 left in the 2nd quarter); OKC 17 (76-93, 1:44 left in the 4th quarter). Scores are DEN-OKC.
  • LEAD CHANGES: 2. TIES: 3.
  • Thunder went ahead for good with 2:06 left in the 3rd quarter, at 62-64 (Ajay Mitchell, running Layup).
  • RUNS (8 or more unanswered points; each scorer's points in the run):
  • - DEN 8-0 from 9:37 left in the 2nd quarter to 7:47 left in the 2nd quarter, 29-28 to 37-28 (Tyus Jones 2, Aaron Gordon 2, DeMar DeRozan 2, Trevon Brazile 2)
  • - OKC 8-0 from 1:40 left in the 2nd quarter to 11:08 left in the 3rd quarter, 48-40 to 48-48 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 4, Isaiah Hartenstein 2, Jalen Williams 2)
  • STRAIGHT TEAM POINTS BY ONE PLAYER (the other team may score in between):
  • - Aaron Gordon scored 7 straight Nuggets points, from 2:26 left in the 2nd quarter to 10:57 left in the 3rd quarter (45-40, 48-40, 51-48).
  • - DeMar DeRozan scored 6 straight Nuggets points, from 8:54 left in the 4th quarter to 5:18 left in the 4th quarter (68-74, 69-76, 71-81, 72-81).
  • - Jalen Williams scored 8 straight Thunder points, from 6:41 left in the 1st quarter to 5:25 left in the 1st quarter (15-12, 17-14, 19-17).
  • TIMELINE (the facts above in game order, each at the moment it began; a later line began later; scores DEN-OKC):
  • - 6:41 to 5:25 left in the 1st quarter: Jalen Williams scores 8 straight Thunder points (15-12 after the first, 19-17 after the last).
  • - End of the 1st quarter: 27-24.
  • - 9:37 to 7:47 left in the 2nd quarter: DEN 8-0 run, 29-28 to 37-28.
  • - 7:47 left in the 2nd quarter: DEN leads by 9, its largest lead (37-28).
  • - 2:26 left in the 2nd quarter to 10:57 left in the 3rd quarter: Aaron Gordon scores 7 straight Nuggets points (45-40 after the first, 51-48 after the last).
  • - 1:40 left in the 2nd quarter to 11:08 left in the 3rd quarter: OKC 8-0 run, 48-40 to 48-48.
  • - End of the 2nd quarter: 48-44.
  • - 2:06 left in the 3rd quarter: Thunder go ahead for good, 62-64.
  • - End of the 3rd quarter: 64-70.
  • - 8:54 to 5:18 left in the 4th quarter: DeMar DeRozan scores 6 straight Nuggets points (68-74 after the first, 72-81 after the last).
  • - 1:44 left in the 4th quarter: OKC leads by 17, its largest lead (76-93).
  • - End of the 4th quarter: 84-96.
  • TEAM TOTALS:
  • - DEN: FG 31-82 (37.8%), 3PT 8-30 (26.7%), FT 14-22, 53 rebounds (19 offensive), 17 assists, 22 turnovers, 7 steals, 2 blocks, 33 bench points
  • - OKC: FG 36-95 (37.9%), 3PT 11-43 (25.6%), FT 13-14, 46 rebounds (16 offensive), 22 assists, 12 turnovers, 12 steals, 9 blocks, 31 bench points
  • PLAYERS, Denver Nuggets:
  • - Aaron Gordon (starter, 29 min): 20 pts, 6 reb (3 off), 1 ast, FG 6-9, 3PT 3-4, FT 5-6, 2 stl, 1 blk, 2 tov, 3 fouls, +/- -11 | points by period 4-8-8-0
  • - DeMar DeRozan (bench, 28 min): 13 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 0 ast, FG 5-9, 3PT 0-1, FT 3-6, 0 stl, 0 blk, 5 tov, 3 fouls, +/- -10 | points by period 3-2-2-6
  • - Nikola Jokić (starter, 35 min): 13 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 5 ast, FG 5-19, 3PT 1-7, FT 2-4, 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 tov, 3 fouls, +/- -20 | points by period 4-4-4-1
  • - Christian Braun (starter, 33 min): 7 pts, 6 reb (3 off), 1 ast, FG 3-10, 3PT 1-6, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 0 blk, 2 tov, 3 fouls, +/- -20 | points by period 5-0-0-2
  • - Jamal Murray (starter, 37 min): 6 pts, 10 reb (2 off), 3 ast, FG 2-11, 3PT 0-1, FT 2-4, 1 stl, 0 blk, 6 tov, 2 fouls, +/- -15 | points by period 4-1-0-1
  • - Cameron Johnson (starter, 11 min): 5 pts, 2 reb (0 off), 1 ast, FG 2-3, 3PT 1-1, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 2 fouls, +/- 0 | points by period 5-0-0-0
  • - Ryan Nembhard (bench, 2 min): 5 pts, 1 reb (1 off), 1 ast, FG 2-3, 3PT 1-1, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- +5 | points by period 0-0-0-5
  • - Alpha Diallo (bench, 22 min): 4 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 3 ast, FG 2-4, 3PT 0-2, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 0 blk, 2 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +1 | points by period 2-0-0-2
  • - Trevon Brazile (bench, 18 min): 4 pts, 12 reb (3 off), 0 ast, FG 1-6, 3PT 0-4, FT 2-2, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 tov, 2 fouls, +/- -1 | points by period 0-2-2-0
  • - DaRon Holmes II (bench, 2 min): 3 pts, 1 reb (1 off), 1 ast, FG 1-2, 3PT 1-2, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- +5 | points by period 0-0-0-3
  • - Marvin Bagley III (bench, 11 min): 2 pts, 3 reb (2 off), 1 ast, FG 1-3, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 2 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +3 | points by period 0-2-0-0
  • - Tyus Jones (bench, 10 min): 2 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 0 ast, FG 1-3, 3PT 0-1, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 1 foul, +/- -2 | points by period 0-2-0-0
  • - Bryce Hopkins (bench, 2 min): 0 pts, 1 reb (1 off), 0 ast, FG 0-0, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- +5
  • PLAYERS, Oklahoma City Thunder:
  • - Jalen Williams (starter, 33 min): 21 pts, 5 reb (0 off), 3 ast, FG 7-15, 3PT 2-6, FT 5-6, 0 stl, 0 blk, 1 tov, 3 fouls, +/- 0 | points by period 10-0-5-6
  • - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (starter, 35 min): 17 pts, 2 reb (0 off), 3 ast, FG 6-19, 3PT 3-11, FT 2-2, 0 stl, 1 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- +21 | points by period 0-2-5-10
  • - Ajay Mitchell (bench, 23 min): 12 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 0 ast, FG 5-11, 3PT 0-4, FT 2-2, 5 stl, 1 blk, 3 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +10 | points by period 0-8-4-0
  • - Chet Holmgren (starter, 28 min): 12 pts, 17 reb (9 off), 2 ast, FG 5-9, 3PT 0-1, FT 2-2, 1 stl, 4 blk, 3 tov, 4 fouls, +/- +12 | points by period 2-4-4-2
  • - Cason Wallace (starter, 24 min): 9 pts, 1 reb (0 off), 1 ast, FG 3-8, 3PT 3-6, FT 0-0, 4 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 4 fouls, +/- +8 | points by period 3-0-3-3
  • - Alex Caruso (bench, 20 min): 7 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 5 ast, FG 3-7, 3PT 1-5, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 1 blk, 0 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +17 | points by period 4-0-3-0
  • - Isaiah Hartenstein (starter, 23 min): 6 pts, 6 reb (3 off), 2 ast, FG 3-10, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 1 blk, 2 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +8 | points by period 2-2-2-0
  • - Jared McCain (bench, 18 min): 4 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 1 ast, FG 1-6, 3PT 0-3, FT 2-2, 0 stl, 0 blk, 2 tov, 1 foul, +/- -2 | points by period 0-2-0-2
  • - Jaylin Williams (bench, 15 min): 3 pts, 7 reb (0 off), 3 ast, FG 1-4, 3PT 1-4, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 2 fouls, +/- +13 | points by period 3-0-0-0
  • - Kenrich Williams (bench, 6 min): 3 pts, 1 reb (0 off), 1 ast, FG 1-2, 3PT 1-2, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 1 foul, +/- -9 | points by period 0-0-0-3
  • - Aday Mara (bench, 13 min): 2 pts, 3 reb (3 off), 0 ast, FG 1-3, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 tov, 1 foul, +/- -8 | points by period 0-2-0-0
  • - Bennett Stirtz (bench, 2 min): 0 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 0 ast, FG 0-1, 3PT 0-1, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- -5
  • - Brooks Barnhizer (bench, 2 min): 0 pts, 0 reb (0 off), 1 ast, FG 0-0, 3PT 0-0, FT 0-0, 0 stl, 0 blk, 0 tov, 0 fouls, +/- -5
  • SCORING PLAYS IN THE LAST 6:00 OF THE 4TH QUARTER (DEN-OKC after the play):
  • - 5:18 DEN +1 DeMar DeRozan (Free Throw 1 of 2) -> 72-81
  • - 5:07 OKC +3 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25' 3PT fadeaway) -> 72-84
  • - 4:41 DEN +1 Nikola Jokić (Free Throw 1 of 2) -> 73-84
  • - 4:08 OKC +1 Jalen Williams (Free Throw 1 of 2) -> 73-85
  • - 4:08 OKC +1 Jalen Williams (Free Throw 2 of 2) -> 73-86
  • - 3:35 OKC +2 Chet Holmgren (Layup) -> 73-88
  • - 3:28 DEN +1 Jamal Murray (Free Throw 1 of 2) -> 74-88
  • - 2:55 OKC +2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11' fadeaway Jump Shot) -> 74-90
  • - 2:33 DEN +2 Christian Braun (tip Layup) -> 76-90
  • - 1:44 OKC +3 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27' 3PT) -> 76-93
  • - 1:21 DEN +3 DaRon Holmes II (29' 3PT) -> 79-93
  • - 0:53.4 DEN +3 Ryan Nembhard (25' 3PT) -> 82-93
  • - 0:37.5 OKC +3 Kenrich Williams (3PT) -> 82-96
  • - 0:10.3 DEN +2 Ryan Nembhard (Layup) -> 84-96
  • SEASON LINES THE GAME'S PREVIEW STATED (before this game):
  • - Nikola Jokić averaged 27.7 points in 65 games last season.
  • - Jamal Murray averaged 25.4 points in 75 games last season.
  • ANGLE: Grind. VOICE: The Breakdown.
PREVIEW

Before tip

As it stood at tip · open to read

The Nuggets play at the Thunder on Thursday, Oct 22, at 9:30 PM EDT. Last season, the Nuggets went 54-28, Nikola Jokić averaged 27.7 points in 65 games last season, and Jamal Murray averaged 25.4 points in 75 games last season. The Nuggets' confirmed starters are Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun (NBA official lineups, 5:02 PM EDT). On the other side, the Thunder are 1-0 this season, the Thunder last played on Oct 20, and the Thunder's confirmed starters are Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace (NBA official lineups, 5:02 PM EDT). The Nuggets won the last meeting with the Thunder 127-107 on Apr 10, at home, since 2019-20, the Thunder are 12-14 against the Nuggets in the regular season, and since 2019-20, the Thunder are 4-3 against the Nuggets in the playoffs.

Written from the facts below by a fixed template.

Facts as of 12:02 AM EDT

  • The Nuggets play at the Thunder on Thursday, Oct 22, at 9:30 PM EDT.
  • Last season, the Nuggets went 54-28.
  • Nikola Jokić averaged 27.7 points in 65 games last season.
  • Jamal Murray averaged 25.4 points in 75 games last season.
  • The Nuggets' confirmed starters are Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun (NBA official lineups, 5:02 PM EDT).
  • The Thunder are 1-0 this season.
  • The Thunder last played on Oct 20.
  • The Thunder's confirmed starters are Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace (NBA official lineups, 5:02 PM EDT).
  • The Nuggets won the last meeting with the Thunder 127-107 on Apr 10, at home.
  • Since 2019-20, the Thunder are 12-14 against the Nuggets in the regular season.
  • Since 2019-20, the Thunder are 4-3 against the Nuggets in the playoffs.

Starting fives

Confirmed by the league’s official lineups. Until then: in the NBA, the five those lineups list as expected; otherwise, the five each team started in its last game.

Denver Nuggets

Confirmed · 5:02 PM EDT

NBA Official Lineups API

  1. JM
    Jamal MurrayPG · 25.4 PTS · 4.4 REB · 7.1 AST · 75 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  2. CB
    Christian BraunSG · 12.0 PTS · 4.8 REB · 2.7 AST · 44 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  3. CJ
    Cameron JohnsonSF · 12.2 PTS · 3.8 REB · 2.4 AST · 54 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  4. AG
    Aaron GordonPF · 16.2 PTS · 5.8 REB · 2.7 AST · 36 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  5. NJ
    Nikola JokićC · 27.7 PTS · 12.9 REB · 10.7 AST · 65 GP · 2025-26 regular season

Oklahoma City Thunder

Confirmed · 5:02 PM EDT

NBA Official Lineups API

  1. SG
    Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderPG · 31.2 PTS · 4.3 REB · 6.6 AST · 67 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  2. CW
    Cason WallaceSG · 8.6 PTS · 3.1 REB · 2.6 AST · 76 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  3. JW
    Jalen WilliamsSF · 17.1 PTS · 4.5 REB · 5.5 AST · 32 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  4. CH
    Chet HolmgrenPF · 17.1 PTS · 8.9 REB · 1.7 AST · 68 GP · 2025-26 regular season
  5. IH
    Isaiah HartensteinC · 9.2 PTS · 9.4 REB · 3.6 AST · 46 GP · 2025-26 regular season

Injury report

The league’s official report: each listed player’s status and reason as reported, in report order.

Denver Nuggets

NBA Official Injury Report · 6:15 PM EDT

  1. Spencer JonesQuestionableInjury/Illness - Bilateral Hamstring Injury Management (Hamstring)
  2. Julian StrawtherOutInjury/Illness - Left Knee Sprain (Knee)

Oklahoma City Thunder

NBA Official Injury Report · 6:15 PM EDT

  1. Otega OwehOutInjury/Illness - Right Achilles Tendon Repair/Surgery (Achilles)
  2. Thomas SorberOutInjury/Illness - Right Knee Surgery (Knee)
  3. Nikola TopicOutInjury/Illness - Low Back Surgery (Back)
SELECTED PLAYER
JW

Jalen Williams

OKC · Starter · 33:13 MIN

BOX SCORE

Player contributions

Choose any row to inspect

Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder: one row per player, by points, highest first. Team totals add up the player rows.
PLAYERMINPTSREBASTSTLBLKTOVPFFG3PTFT+/-
33:13215300137–152–65–60
29:28206121236–93–45–6-11
34:37172301006–193–112–2+21
28:12132000535–90–13–6-10
35:19137511235–191–72–4-20
23:00120051325–110–42–2+10
27:511217214345–90–12–2+12
23:5991140043–83–60–0+8
19:3674511023–71–50–0+17
32:3476110233–101–60–0-20
22:4666201223–100–00–0+8
36:45610310622–110–12–4-15
11:2052100022–31–10–00
1:4351100002–31–10–0+5
22:1442310222–40–20–0+1
18:0440100211–60–32–2-2
18:27412000121–60–42–2-1
1:4331100001–21–20–0+5
15:0737300021–41–40–0+13
5:3731100011–21–20–0-9
12:4123011111–30–00–0-8
10:5823100221–30–00–0+3
9:3220010011–30–10–0-2
1:4300000000–10–10–0-5
1:4300100000–00–00–0-5
1:4301000000–00–00–0+5
DNP———————————
DEN totalsSum of 13 player lines84531772222331–828–3014–22
OKC totalsSum of 13 player lines964622129122236–9511–4313–14

Team totals add up the player rows above. DNP: did not play. —: not recorded. Quarter scores are not shown.

SURPRISES

Against their usual

Regular season · Game Score against each player's usual line

DENDenver Nuggets

2 of 4 scored players stayed within the usual range.

OKCOklahoma City Thunder

7 of 9 scored players stayed within the usual range.