DENVER — The Denver Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 127-107 in an NBA matchup dominated by bench players from both teams. With Jonas Valanciunas posting 23 points and 17 rebounds, the Nuggets secured their 11th consecutive victory and clinched at least the fourth seed in the Western Conference as the regular season winds down.
The game started at an even pace between two teams that opted to rest most of their starters with the NBA playoffs in mind. The Denver Nuggets chose to give rest to their entire starting lineup despite still competing for home-court advantage in the first round, while Oklahoma City Thunder only had Lu Dort among their usual starters in the game.
In that context, Jonas Valanciunas took center stage from the post to lead Denver's offense. The center posted his best performance of the season with 23 points and 17 rebounds, well supported by Julian Strawther, who added 22 points, and David Roddy, who contributed 21 points, also his best mark of the year.
The game remained relatively close through much of the third quarter. Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Branden Carlson with 23 points, managed to cut the deficit to 87-85 in the final moments of the third period. It seemed the contest would enter a decisive stretch, but that's when the turning point arrived.
A corner three-pointer by Zeke Nnaji sparked the Denver Nuggets, who rattled off a 17-0 run to definitively break open the game. Early in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets extended their lead further with a 21-5 stretch, putting the game out of reach and securing a comfortable victory over the Thunder.
For Oklahoma City Thunder, Lu Dort was the only starter to see minutes, finishing with 5 points. The shooting guard needed to play at least 20 minutes to maintain his eligibility for NBA individual awards, something head coach Mark Daigneault managed by calling a timeout right when he reached that threshold in the third quarter.
The victory confirms Denver Nuggets' excellent form, having won 11 straight games and already clinching at least the fourth seed in the West while remaining in contention for the third seed in the Western Conference standings.