Nuggets win overtime thriller in Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY — For the third time in a week, the Denver Nuggets held onto a lead in the second half. They were up 10 in Philadelphia on Monday and eight in Toronto on Tuesday, but in both games they wound up blowing it.

On Friday, the Nuggets once again had a comfortable cushion after halftime. They were cruising along with a 15-point lead over the Thunder in the third quarter. Oklahoma City came charging back in the fourth. This time, Denver did just enough to hang on to win 126-125 in overtime.

Mason Plumlee’s game-saving block in overtime with under 10 seconds remaining and Denver leading by one, propelled the Nuggets to victory.

Denver’s starting frontcourt of Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic led the way. Millsap scored a season-high 36 points on 13-18 shooting. Jokic tallied 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

Will Barton scored some clutch baskets on his way to 18 points. He hit a spinning layup to send the game to overtime and clinched the game for Denver with two free throws in the extra period.

Denver allowed Oklahoma City to grab 18 offensive rebounds but survived anyway.

The Nuggets capped off a season-long seven-game road trip on a high note. They went 3-4 in their two-weeks-long journey away from Pepsi Center. Their playoff odds don’t look good, but they’re at least still alive in the hunt after a trying road swing.