Shai Gilgeous-Alexander compiled 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder failed to hold on to a 14-point second-half lead and were dealt their first loss of this year's playoffs
Aaron Gordon's go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.6 seconds left capped a stunning late rally for the Denver Nuggets, who shocked the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of a Western Conference semi-final series with Monday's 121-119 road victory. (More Sports News)
The fourth-seeded Nuggets trailed by 11 points with under 4 1/2 minutes remaining before outscoring the favoured Thunder by a 19-6 margin the rest of the way to gain the upper hand in this best-of-seven series.
Nikola Jokić led the comeback by scoring 18 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and helping Denver dominate on the glass. The NBA MVP finalist added 22 rebounds on a night where the Nuggets finished with a 63-43 advantage in that category.
Gordon had 14 boards to go along with 22 points, and the Nuggets also received 21 points from Jamal Murray that aided the come-from-behind win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander compiled 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Oklahoma City, but the Thunder failed to hold on to a 14-point second-half lead and were dealt their first loss of this year's playoffs.
Alex Caruso added 20 points off the bench for Oklahoma City, which will try to bounce back at home in Wednesday's Game 2. Jalen Williams ended with 16 points but missed 15 of his 20 shot attempts.
The Thunder appeared well in control after Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:31 left to give his team a 113-102 lead, but the Nuggets countered with a 12-2 run to get right back in it. Jokic had nine points during the spurt, which he capped with a 3-pointer that brought Denver within 115-114 entering the final minute.
Oklahoma City was still up by one at 119-118 when Chet Holmgren missed two costly free throws with 9.5 seconds remaining, setting the stage for Gordon's clutch 25-footer that completed the comeback after the Thunder missed a desperation heave at the buzzer.
After a tightly played opening quarter, the Thunder started the second with eight straight points to build a 35-26 advantage. They led by as many as 14 points late in the first half before heading into the break with a 60-50 lead.
Oklahoma City remained comfortably in front for much of the third quarter, but the Nuggets closed the gap via a 9-0 run that trimmed their deficit to 82-77 with 3:29 left in the period. They trailed 90-85 entering the fourth, though the Thunder began separating again by scoring 10 of the first 13 points of the final frame.
Knicks rally from 20 down, stun Celtics in overtime in series opener
Behind big performances from OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson and a superb defensive effort, the New York Knicks mounted a huge second-half comeback to steal Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-finals series against the Boston Celtics.
Anunoby and Brunson each had 29 points as the Knicks rallied from a 20-point third-quarter deficit to produce a stunning 108-105 overtime victory over the reigning NBA champions on Monday.
Brunson and Anunoby both recorded 20 points in the second half while combining to go 11 of 20 from 3-point range as third-seeded New York negated the second-seeded Celtics' home-court advantage for the best-of-seven series, which resumes again in Boston on Wednesday.
The cold-shooting Celtics set an NBA record for a post-season game with 60 3-point attempts, but made only 15 of them while being held to a season-low field-goal percentage of 35.1.
Boston was especially off the mark in the late stages, as it shot a mere 20.7 per cent from the field during the fourth quarter and overtime to blow a 75-55 lead it held midway through the third quarter.
The Celtics also played the entire second half and overtime without starting center Kristaps Porziņģis, who went scoreless over the first two quarters before exiting due to illness.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum led Boston with 23 points each. Tatum added 16 rebounds while Derrick White also posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Celtics appeared well on the way to a Game 1 victory after ending the first half on a 13-3 run to take a 61-45 lead into the break. Their margin expanded further after White knocked down a 3-pointer to make the score 75-55 with just under six minutes left in the third quarter.
Anunoby then got the Knicks going by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers that ignited a 20-6 New York run, though the Celtics held an 84-75 lead going into the fourth quarter following an Al Horford 3-ball to end the third.
Boston's offence faltered in the fourth, however, as the Celtics went 4 of 21 from the field and the Knicks took advantage. New York opened the quarter on an 11-2 spurt to tie the game at 86-86 with seven minutes left in regulation.
Anunoby's 3-pointer with 1:08 to go in the fourth gave the Knicks a 100-98 edge, though Boston quickly tied it on a Jrue Holiday layup before both teams missed chances late to send the contest into overtime.
New York moved ahead for good when Anunoby converted a three-point play with 3:25 left in overtime, and teammate Mikael Bridges followed with a 3-pointer shortly afterward for a 106-100 Knicks lead.