![Aaron Gordon #32 of the Denver Nuggets takes the game-winning 3-point shot in Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder :[Sam Hodde/Getty Images/via AFP]](https://jambobet.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AFP__20250506__2213649497__v2__HighRes__DenverNuggetsVOklahomaCityThunderGameOne-1746516104.webp "AFP__20250506__2213649497__v2__HighRes__DenverNuggetsVOklahomaCityThunderGameOne-1746516104")
The Denver Nuggets proved once again why they’re not to be counted out in the NBA playoffs. Aaron Gordon sank a clutch three-pointer with just 2.8 seconds left to hand the Nuggets a dramatic 121-119 win over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night.
Gordon’s winner came at the end of a back-and-forth battle that featured playoff intensity, MVP-level performances, and a wild final few minutes that swung the momentum Denver’s way.
Jokic Dominates with Historic Stat Line
Nikola Jokic, one of the leading contenders for this year’s MVP award, was sensational once again. The Serbian big man dropped 42 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, and dished out five assists—becoming just the fourth player in NBA playoff history to post such numbers in a single game.
Despite picking up his fifth foul late in the fourth quarter after a flagrant elbow on Lu Dort, Jokic remained calm and composed. He played through the pressure and helped anchor a furious Nuggets comeback in the final minutes.
“A lot of things didn’t go our way tonight, but we just didn’t want to miss the moment,” Gordon said. “We didn’t want to wait—it might’ve been too late.”
MONDAY’S FINAL SCORES
Nikola Jokić puts up a historic statline and Aaron Gordon hits the game-winning 3 to lift the @nuggets to a 1-0 series lead!
Gordon: 22 PTS, 14 REB
Murray: 21 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST
Westbrook: 18 PTS
Braun: 11 PTS, 13 REBGame 2: Weds., 9:30pm/et, TNT https://t.co/pnx2Tu4ti8 pic.twitter.com/N7GC8w5HnQ
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2025
Gordon Shines Again in Crunch Time
For the second time this postseason, Aaron Gordon delivered in the clutch. After scoring a game-winning buzzer-beating dunk against the Clippers in the first round, he once again played the hero—this time from beyond the arc.
But it wasn’t just his late shot that mattered. Gordon finished the night with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and an all-around performance that Nuggets interim coach David Adelman called “the soul of our team.”
“Aaron’s going to be a hero again,” Adelman said. “But I’m also looking at 14 rebounds, ball-handling, leadership. He’s all-in for us.”
AARON GORDON 3 FOR THE WIN!!!@nuggets take Game 1 in a THRILLER pic.twitter.com/fxV2ReRPZA
— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2025
Thunder Let It Slip Away
The Thunder looked in control for large stretches of the game. MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put up 33 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, while Alex Caruso chipped in with 20 points, six assists, and five steals. The home crowd in Oklahoma City was buzzing, especially after Chet Holmgren gave them a 113-102 lead with 4:31 left.
But things unraveled quickly.
Holmgren missed two critical free throws with under a minute to go. The Thunder also committed questionable fouls late, which the veteran Nuggets converted into four points at the line during the final 13 seconds. Those mistakes proved costly.
Coach Mark Daigneault defended the fouling strategy, saying, “It didn’t go our way tonight, but it’s worked out well for us in the past. I don’t think that’s why we lost the game.”
Still, Oklahoma City’s late-game collapse is a major talking point. The Thunder had a week’s rest after sweeping the Grizzlies, but they couldn’t match Denver’s urgency in crunch time.
Russell Westbrook’s Homecoming
Monday’s game also marked Russell Westbrook’s first playoff appearance in Oklahoma City as an opponent. The former Thunder star, now a key part of the Nuggets’ rotation, delivered a subtle assist on Gordon’s game-winner—a poetic moment for a player who once carried the franchise in big moments of his own.
While Westbrook didn’t dominate the box score, his composure and leadership were evident in the final sequence that helped Denver escape with the win.
What’s Next?
The Nuggets, coming off a grueling seven-game series against the Clippers, now take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. They’ll look to carry the momentum into Game 2, while the Thunder will need to regroup quickly and rediscover the closing form that helped them top the Western Conference in the regular season.
As Jokic said earlier in the playoffs: “It’s not about starting strong, it’s about finishing stronger.” On Monday night in OKC, the Nuggets lived by those words.
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