Williams scores 21 as Holmgren controls the boards
Jalen Williams scored 21 points and Chet Holmgren finished with 12 points and 17 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 96–84 on Thursday, October 22. The home-opening victory was completed on Friday morning in the Philippines.
Oklahoma City trailed 48–44 at halftime and had been behind by as many as nine points. Its recovery gathered pace in the third quarter, when an Ajay Mitchell layup put the Thunder ahead 64–62. Three-pointers from Alex Caruso and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped extend the advantage before the final period.
Denver received 20 points from Aaron Gordon, while Nikola Jokić and DeMar DeRozan each scored 13. The Nuggets were playing their first regular-season game; Oklahoma City had already opened with a victory against San Antonio.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an unusually difficult shooting night, finishing with 17 points on six of 19 attempts. Williams' scoring and Holmgren's rebounding consequently became especially important to the Thunder's route back into the contest.
The final score reflects a game decided without a large offensive total from Oklahoma City. Keeping Denver below 90 points gave the Thunder room to overcome their own early difficulties, while the third-quarter change of lead created a position they could defend down the stretch.
The result left Oklahoma City 2–0. Denver next hosts New Orleans on Saturday, October 24, in the United States, while the Thunder's next scheduled opponent is the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, October 25, in the United States.