The NBA playoffs are supposed to be pitting the best competition in the league against each other, especially the deeper we get in the postseason. Still, sometimes even good teams have a bad day.
The Thunder finished the regular season with a 68-14 record, which cemented OKC not only with the best record in the Western Conference but also the best record in the entire NBA. Denver didn’t have a bad season by any means, finishing 50-32, but on Wednesday night, it looked like Oklahoma City was taking on one of the worst teams in the league from how lopsided the 149-106 final score was.
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The Thunder got out to an early lead and never let up. Oklahoma City went into the break up 87-56, scoring the most first-half points in a playoff game in NBA history and tying the record for points scored in any playoff half in history. The Thunder didn’t let up from there. One stat to show how lopsided things were: OKC had 31 assists; Denver only made 33 field goals.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic fouled out late in the third quarter, which just further stacked the deck against Denver. It was only the fourth time in his playoff career that Jokic fouled out, something he has only done once in the regular season since 2019-20. To add insult to injury, he did so with a career-worst -36 plus/minus.
On the flip side, fellow MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a +51 mark, the highest ever for any player in a postseason game.
Here’s where the Thunder’s blowout win over the Nuggets ranks among the all-time biggest blowouts in NBA playoff history.
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Biggest blowouts in NBA playoff history
| Rank | Year | Series | Game | Point Margin |
| 1. | 2009 | West First Round | Nuggets 121, Hornets 63 | 58 |
| 1956 | West Semifinals | Lakers 133, Hawks 75 | 58 | |
| 3. | 1973 | West Finals | Lakers 126, Warriors 70 | 56 |
| 4. | 2025 | East First Round | Cavaliers 128, Heat 73 | 55 |
| 5. | 2015 | East First Round | Bulls 120, Bucks 66 | 54 |
| 6. | 2025 | West First Round | Thunder 131, Grizzlies 80 | 51 |
| 7. | 1971 | West Semifinals | Bucks 136, Warriors 86 | 50 |
| 8. | 1995 | East First Round | Magic 124, Celtics 77 | 47 |
| 1986 | West First Round | Lakers 135, Spurs 88 | 47 | |
| 10. | 2024 | West Second Round | Timberwolves 115, Nuggets 70 | 45 |
| 11. | 2017 | East Finals | Cavaliers 130, Celtics 86 | 44 |
| 1997 | West First Round | SuperSonics 122, Suns 78 | 44 | |
| 1985 | West Finals | Lakers 153, Nuggets 109 | 44 | |
| 1958 | West Finals | Hawks 145, Pistons 101 | 44 | |
| 15. | 2025 | West Semifinals | Thunder 149, Nuggets 106 | 43 |
| 2020 | West First Round | Clippers 154, Mavericks 111 | 43 | |
| 2010 | East Semifinals | Magic 114, Hawks 71 | 43 | |
| 1987 | East First Round | Pistons 128, Bullets 85 | 43 | |
| 1984 | West Semifinals | Lakers 134, Mavericks 91 | 43 | |
| 20. | 1998 | NBA Finals | Bulls 96, Jazz 54 | 42 |
| 21. | 2018 | West Finals | Warriors 126, Rockets 85 | 41 |
| 1991 | East First Round | Bulls 126, Knicks 85 | 41 | |
| 23. | 2014 | West First Round | Clippers 138, Warriors 98 | 40 |
| 2009 | West Semifinals | Lakers 118, Rockets 78 | 40 | |
| 2005 | West First Round | Mavericks 116, Rockets 76 | 40 | |
| 1983 | West Semifinals | Spurs 145, Nuggets 105 | 40 | |
| 1982 | East Finals | Celtics 121, 76ers 81 | 40 | |
| 1978 | East Semifinals | 76ers 130, Knicks 90 | 40 | |
| 1969 | West Semifinals | Lakers 118, Warriors 78 | 40 |
In the end, the Thunder won 149-106. The win ranked tied for 15th for the biggest point differentials in NBA playoff history. On top of that, Oklahoma City scored the 10th-most points in an NBA playoff game in history, just eight points behind the Celtics 157-point mark set in 1990.
Thunder vs. Nuggets Game 2 stats
Thunder
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 34 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists. +51 plus/minus (NBA record for best-ever plus/minus in a playoff game)
- Chet Holmgren — 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists. +34 plus/minus
- Jalen Williams — 17 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists. +23 plus/minus
- Isaiah Hartenstein — 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists. +19 plus/minus
- Luguentz Dort — 12 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists. +34 plus/minus
Oklahoma City shot 50-of-89 from the field (56.2%), 16-of-36 from 3 (44.4%), and 33-of-36 from the line (91.7%).
Nuggets
- Nikola Jokic — 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists. -36 plus/minus (his lowest in any NBA game he has played)
- Jamal Murray — 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist. -34 plus/minus
- Michael Porter Jr. — 8 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists. -25 plus/minus
- Aaron Gordon — 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist. -36 plus/minus
- Christian Braun — 3 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists. -40 plus/minus
- Russell Westbrook — 19 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists. -30 plus/minus
Denver shot 33-of-87 from the field (37.9%), 15-of-37 from deep (40.5%), and 25-of-32 (78.1%) from the line. They committed 20 turnovers compared to just nine from OKC.