The Nuggets stunned the basketball world by stealing Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Thunder.
Denver did not just steal the win figuratively — it trailed by as many as 14 points in the game and won after a wild sequence led to a game-winning 3-pointer from Aaron Gordon with 2.8 seconds remaining, causing a deafening silence at the Paycom Center.
AARON GORDON 3 FOR THE WIN!!!@nuggets take Game 1 in a THRILLER 🤯 pic.twitter.com/fxV2ReRPZA
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2025
Many are viewing Gordon's triple as the basketball gods rewarding Denver's persistence despite Oklahoma City's strategy of intentionally fouling late, which, as evidenced by the final score, backfired.
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Here's more on how the Thunder's late-game strategy led to their Game 1 demise.
Thunder-Nuggets ending, explained
With 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer from Nikola Jokic cut the Nuggets' deficit to one point at 115-114.
After a defensive stop on the ensuing possession, Denver had two opportunities to take the lead, but Russell Westbrook missed a 3-pointer, and Gordon could not finish over the OKC defense after wrangling in an offensive board.
Then came the foul game. And while it is common for trailing teams to foul, the Thunder leaned into the philosophy of fouling with a three-point lead to prevent a game-tying shot.
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Denver fouled intentionally with 13.9 seconds remaining, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put his team back ahead by three by hitting both free throws. After a Nuggets timeout, the Thunder fouled within one second to prevent Denver from tying things up.
Two Nuggets free throws cut the deficit back to one, and during the next timeout, Jokic was subbed out because he was one foul away from disqualification.
On the next possession, Gilgeous-Alexander snuck away from the defense for an uncontested dunk with 11.1 seconds on the clock, though he could have wasted more time as Denver was sure to foul intentionally.
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With the Thunder back up by three, the team fouled Gordon in the backcourt while just 0.4 seconds came off the clock. In addition to not taking much time off, this also allowed Jokic to come back into the game. Gordon sank both free throws to make the score 119-118 with over 10 seconds remaining.
Alex Caruso fouls quickly as if OKC was trailing and the haste with which the Thunder fouled is what backfired.
With 10 seconds left, Westbrook intentionally fouled Chet Holmgren, who missed both free throws, leaving the door open for Denver. In transition, Christian Braun found Westbrook, who proceeded to hit a wide-open Gordon for the game-winner with 2.8 seconds remaining.
As the Thunder had no more timeouts remaining, Jalen Williams was left to try a three-quarter court heave that did not come close to connecting.
After the game, members of OKC's side did not point back to the quickness of the intentional fouls, with head coach Mark Daigneault saying, "I thought we executed the fouls pretty well. … It didn't go our way tonight, but it's worked out well for us in the past."
Mark Daigneault on fouling up 3 late, if he wishes he decided otherwise on certain possessions: “I thought we executed the fouls pretty well. … it didn’t go our way tonight, but it’s worked out well for us in the past. … I didn’t think that’s why we lost the game.” pic.twitter.com/nOUxKBsXyq
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) May 6, 2025
Caruso said that "This game wasn't won or lost in the last 15 seconds," insisting that his team could have executed much better down the stretch to avoid being in that position altogether.
Based on sentiments throughout the Thunder locker room, the philosophy of fouling when up by three points is one they'll continue to adhere to.
For now, the deficit OKC must worry about is the 1-0 series hole it has found itself in.