Thunder Defeat Nuggets 96-84 in Season Opener as Aaron Gordon Scores 20 Points

The Denver Nuggets opened their regular-season campaign with a 96-84 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite a strong offensive effort from forward Aaron Gordon, Denver struggled to find its rhythm on the road during a defensive-minded matchup.

Aaron Gordon stood out as the top scorer for the Nuggets, putting up 20 points. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic added 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, shooting five-for-19 from the field. DeMar DeRozan contributed 13 points off the bench in his debut with the team, and Jamal Murray finished with six points and 10 rebounds.

The Nuggets faced a tough night offensively, shooting just 37.8 percent from the field and committing 22 turnovers. The team enters the new season with a revamped second unit following the departures of Peyton Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr., alongside new additions like Marvin Bagley III and DeRozan.

For the Thunder, Jalen Williams led the scoring charge with 21 points. Chet Holmgren anchored the paint with 12 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocks, while Ajay Mitchell chipped in 12 points and five steals off the bench.

The game also marked a notable milestone for Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose historic streak of 141 consecutive games with at least 20 points came to an end. The Canadian guard finished the night with 17 points after scoring just two points in the first half, missing his first seven field-goal attempts before recovering somewhat after halftime.

With the victory, Oklahoma City improved to 2-0 on the young season, while Denver fell to 0-1. The Nuggets will look to bounce back and refine their depth as the regular season continues.