NBA playoffs: “OKC” against Denver – Defensive Battle on Mother’s Day

The Oklahoma City Thunder With the German center Isaiah Hartenstein have the fourth game of the Conference-semi -finals at the Denver nuggets won and thus the Best-of-Seven-Series balanced.

The Thunder won a close game with 92:87 on Sunday (May 12, 2025/local time) and thus also brought back the home advantage in the series. “Okc”, the best team in the regular season, had clearly won two in their own hall after the game defeat two, but lost the first meeting in Denver in extra time. On Sunday the enormously important away win in the “Mile High City“Otherwise, the Thunder in the Best-of-Seven series would have been 1: 3 behind and under pressure. The fifth game takes place again in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

25 points in the first quarter – minus record set in the playoffs

Just 36 hours after the game three, which was only decided on Friday evening after extra time, both teams had to go back on the floor again on Mother’s Day. This was noticeable, especially in the first quarter the fans were served in Denver, including numerous mothers of the players, a false throw festival: 17: 8 for “OKC” was the score after the first quarter, so the minus record for the Playoffs set.

Above all, the three -point throws did not fall, Denver even did not hit 14 attempts from “”downtown“, The Thunder met at least 1 of 11. Both teams made more ball losses (9) as successful basket ends (8).

It did not get much better as a result, both teams came out of the field in a hit rate of 33.5 percent, the worst value in a playoff game in 21 years.

In game two, “OKC” had set a record for most points in a half against Denver. Play four, on the other hand, offered a completely different picture: a real defensive battle, in parts it reminded of the basketball of the early 1990s.

“Okc” with a matriculation examination against experienced nuggets

Oklahoma City, with the impending 1: 3 deficit in mind, delivered a ripe test: In the final phase of the close game, it was not the experienced nuggets, champions from 2023, but the young Thunder team, which had the better nerves and the better decisions were made: Denver was eight points in front at the beginning of the final area, but “okc” fell back: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 9 of his 25 points in the final phase, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins came from the bank and scored three important threes.

In addition to Wiggins and Wallace, which even sank all three attempts from “Downtown”, Alex Caruso scored another player from the bank, in a real one “Low-scoring game“.

In the end, Isaiah Hartenstein came to 8 points and 14 rebounds and provided with the other “Big Man“Chet Holmgren (8 points, 13 rebounds) for the fact that the Thunder were also the better team on the board.

“That was our plan to use the depth of our squad”said Thunder coach Mark Daigneult after the game. “It wasn’t much time after the last game.”

Jokic is looking for his impact

Nuggets leader Nikola Jokic did not want to accept fatigue as an excuse after the game. The Serb was with 27 points and 13 rebounds of the best scorer of the game, but continues to look for his usual impact in the game of the Nuggets: in game four he only came up with three basket templates, his worst value in these playoffs so far. Overall, he has more ball losses (23) than Assists (22) in his statistics.

“Both teams were very tired“, also said Denvers coach David Adelman.”Play four was very exhausting physically. Today it was about who has the decisive run in the final phase. “ These were the Thunder, who now have the chance to take the lead 3-2 in their own arena – and increase the pressure on Denver.