On October 25, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA regular season continued, and the Nuggets lost to the Youth Army Thunder 87-102 at home in the opening game of the new season.

Statistics

Thunder: Alexander 28 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, Holmgren 25 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks

Nuggets: Jokic had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists, his 131st career triple-double; Willis shot 2-of-10 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range to finish with six points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks, and Murray had 12 points

Background

The Thunder are the youngest and most talented team in the NBA, with 26-year-old guards Shay· Gilgeous· Alexander and 22-year-old Chet · Holmgren winning 57 regular season games last season, including a 3-1 advantage in four meetings with the Nuggets. In the offseason, the Thunder also made changes to the roster, acquiring guard Alex · Caruso through a trade and signing centers Isaiah · Hartenstein. However, Hartenstein will be sidelined for at least a month after suffering a fractured left hand in the preseason on October 15. In Hartenstein's absence, the onus of defending three-time MVP Jokic will fall on Holmgren's shoulders, but the lanky Holmgren knows he won't be able to take on the role of defending the superstar on his own, which he says will require the entire team to accomplish the task.

The Nuggets also had a 57-25 record in the regular season last season, but were eliminated by the Timberwolves 3-4 in the second round of the playoffs. In the offseason, the Nuggets made changes to their roster, with Pope, Reggie· Jackson and Justin · Holiday all leaving, but they signed veteran Russell · Westbrook to a two-year contract worth $6.8 million. For the Nuggets, the team's championship hopes began and ended with Jokic. However, the team leader was very dissatisfied with their performance in the preseason, Jokic bluntly said that he did not meet the expected level, his shooting was also out of sight, and his performance throughout the preseason was quite poor, and he hoped that the team could improve and do better in the regular season.

Game recap

The Nuggets, playing at home, took the lead in attacking, Jokic hit a three-pointer from the outside, and Murray, Braun and Gordon also made contributions one after another, and the Nuggets started the game 11-5. Dort played a tough 2+1 on Jokic, but Murray immediately responded with a three-pointer. With six minutes left in the quarter, Westbrook came off the bench and came up to steal Alexander, injecting passion into the team. As the leader, Alexander naturally did not show weakness, first hitting a three-pointer, and then assisting Holmgren and Joe to score, and after a wave of 13-2 small surge, the Thunder overtook the score 23-21. At the critical moment, Wei Shao assisted Jokic under the basket to complete the dunk. At 48.8 seconds, Willis caused a defensive foul on Caruso and scored his first point with the Nuggets on 1-of-2 free throws. However, the Nuggets didn't score a point in the final three minutes of the quarter, and the Thunder relied on an 8-1 offensive run to take a 31-24 lead over the Nuggets at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Wei Shao continued to lead the second echelon to compete with the opponent, and just 9 seconds into the quarter, Wei Shao made a strong layup to hit the first sports goal of the Nuggets career, and then sent a big hat on the defensive end. The Thunder will respond immediately, with Wiggins scoring three goals to help the Thunder make it 42-32. At 6 minutes and 57 seconds, Alexander counterattacked and made a layup, Wei Shao accelerated to arrive, and gave the former a big hat. Jokic scored back-to-back baskets, Gordon played a self-shot and steal basket, and Porter Jr. also hit a three-pointer from the outside, and the Nuggets narrowed the gap to four points. At the critical moment, Joe's three-point Thunder stabilized the position. In the last three and a half minutes of the quarter, both sides have played a role. At the end of the first half, the Nuggets trailed the Thunder 51-58.

In the rematch, Jokic became the commander on the court and handed out four assists in a row, leading the Nuggets to chase the score to 64-67. However, the Nuggets' offense then came to a halt, and for the next seven minutes, the athletic game scored just one goal. Alexander took the opportunity to lead another 18-2 offensive run, and the Thunder extended their advantage to 19 points. It wasn't until 53 seconds left in the quarter that Strawther came up to help the Nuggets break the deadlock. At the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets trailed the Thunder 68-85.

In the final quarter, the Nuggets launched a counterattack, and Willow assisted Murray to shoot a three-pointer, and then assisted Strawther to score, and the Nuggets chased the score to 73-85. At the critical moment, Wiggins made a layup, and Williams even dunked it to help the Thunder stabilize the morale of the army. Jokic's layup still couldn't stop the Thunder's progress, and seeing that the point difference opened up again, Wei Shao immediately stepped up and hit a precise three-pointer into the net to help the Nuggets stay in the game. At 4:37, Alexander quickly hit the basket to complete the offense after stealing Gordon, and the Thunder extended their advantage to 18 points again. After returning from a timeout, the Nuggets starting five continued to stay on the court, but the Thunder did not give the opponent a chance to turn the game around.

Both sides start

Thunder: Shay· Gilgeos· Alexander, Chet· Holmgren, Jalen· Williams, Lugenz· Dort, Isaiah· Joe

Nuggets: Nikola· Jokic, Jamal· Murray, Aaron· Gordon, Michael Jr· Porter, Christian · Braun