In an entertaining showdown, the Nuggets fought hard against Oklahoma City in a tight contest going down to the wire. Short on bodies, Denver failed not only to stand up to the Thunder big men in the paint, but also to their lofty hopes of measuring up to Oklahoma City’s talent and lose it 110-104.

THE RUNDOWN

First Quarter – Starters: Emmanuel Mudiay, Gary Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Kenneth Faried, Nikola Jokic

Danilo Gallinari has been on a tear since returning from injury and tonight was no different. The Italian Stallion hit the gates running and trampled over the Thunder defense for a season-high 14 points in a quarter.

Following suit, Emmanuel Mudiay has looked like a new player since coming back from his ankle injury, aggressively attacking whenever he gets the chance. Great to see from the rookie and fans should be giddy at the dunking potential.

Oklahoma City looked sloppy turning the ball over five times in just the first quarter. The Nuggets did a great job by converting on four of them for 8 points.

End of first: Nuggets up 31-25.

Second Quarter – Starters: Randy Foye, Sean Kilpatrick, Will Barton, Darrell Arthur, Joffrey Lauvergne

Sean Kilpatrick found himself starting in the second quarter and immediately contributed, nailing a nice looking three with confidence and scoring his first points as a Denver Nugget. He played nervously last game but seemed to get over his nerves and showed off his lightning quick release. Everyone watched with bated breath as they wait for the scoring explosion Kilpatrick is capable of.

Barton continued to play excellently and was even seen gathering the team around and leading the charge. Great leadership skills to see from Barton and it’s evident he’s taking his progress as an NBA player quite seriously. A perfect personality for this young team.

Mudiay came in and kept attacking relentlessly, showing off the strength that makes him special at just 19 years old.

Unfortunately Kevin Durant was also on his game, matching Gallinari’s 20 for the half. This head-to-head battle was becoming must-see TV.

End of second: Thunder up 57-53.

Third Quarter – Starters: Mudiay, Harris, Gallinari, Faried, Jokic

The game started getting chippy as the Nuggets, particularly Malone, were frustrated with the officiating. The Nuggets were trying to be physical on defense but were whistled for a foul on seemingly every possession.

Mudiay started coming into his own in this quarter as he continued to attack aggressively and started looking more comfortable making plays for his teammates. You can see the puzzle pieces falling into place slowly but surely, and the progress couldn’t be more exciting to watch.

End of third: Thunder up 84-79.

Fourth Quarter – Starters: Foye, Kilpatrick, Barton, Arthur, Lauvergne

The Nuggets were sorely missing Jusuf Nurkic (who was healthy, but held out by Michael Malone) as they simply had no one who could handle Enes Kanter. He was making the Nuggets bigs eat his dust in transition and was scoring seemingly at will, scoring a gut-wrenching 25 points on 10-14 shooting.

Denver frustratingly matched up against a team that was actually better in offensive rebounding, as the Thunder rank second to the Nuggets’ third. Oklahoma City had a free pass to the basket all night long and were eating the Nuggets alive on the boards, gobbling 10 offensive boards to Denver’s mere 3 in the fourth quarter. The Thunder were hard enough to beat in the first place and all the extra possessions effectively ended the Nuggets’ hopes.

Final: Thunder win 110-104.

WHERE/WHEN

Pepsi Center, Denver, CO | Jan. 19th | Regular Season Game 42 (16-26)

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME

The turning point of the game was in the fourth quarter where the Nuggets lost a close game by allowing the Thunder to dominate the offensive glass. Nurkic cannot get back soon enough. Denver played hard but Oklahoma City was simply too talented to beat with a disadvantage.

STAR OF THE GAME

Gallinari was the engine keeping the Nuggets going as he went to work right away and kept at it throughout the night. “Gallo” has been playing the best ball of his career recently and showed no signs of slowing down tonight as he poured in 27 points on 10-20 shooting (4-9 from three, one miss being a full court heave). He looked to take the task of going against Durant personally and it showed in his aggressiveness.

PLAYS OF THE GAME

Barton with a beastly block!!

Gallinari sprays Durant before the end of the first quarter

Gallinari hits a crazy circus-shot for the and-1

Gallinari blows by Durant and slams down a VICIOUS dunk

BY THE NUMBERS

NBA.com

Mudiay, Barton and Foye combined for a total of 7-25 shooting. Not going to win many games against the league’s elite shooting like that. It was great to see Mudiay aggressively attacking the rim and equally as demoralizing seeing him settle for the fadeaway midrange jumpers he seems to love.

Another solid night for Faried as he works for yet another double-double scoring 17 points to go along with his 15 rebounds. A beastly seven offensive boards for The Manimal was the only thing keeping the offensive rebounding numbers even close to Oklahoma City.

LASTING IMPRESSION

The Nuggets fall to 16-26 as they drop a tough game to the Thunder in the Pepsi Center. Nurkic’s presence was sorely missed and only then will the team be complete. Denver can only go so long without a proper rim protector and big body down low. As the injury bug continues to pester the Nuggets, they will look to gain some momentum and have the great second half of the season fans are all hoping for.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Nuggets will stay in Denver and prepare for a rematch against Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies. Tip off is at the Pepsi Center on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. MT.