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The Oklahoma City Thunder delivered a historic beatdown on Wednesday night, and Nikola Jokic made no excuses. Following the Denver Nuggets’ stunning 149–106 loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Jokic didn’t sugarcoat what happened.
The reigning Finals MVP faced the media and laid it out plainly: “Basically, it was one team playing tonight. Even the turnovers, misses — they were aggressive. They were rebounding the ball. They were just better. They were much, much better than us today, and that’s why the score was so bad.”
Coming off a dominant Game 1 performance where he posted 42 points and 22 rebounds, Jokic looked like a man ready to take control of the series. But in Game 2, the Thunder had other plans — and executed them to perfection. Jokic finished with just 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting, along with eight rebounds, six assists, and six turnovers. He also fouled out late in the third quarter, capping off one of the worst playoff performances of his career, reflected by a brutal -36 plus-minus.
“They were just better,” Jokic repeated in his postgame comments. “They were going by us, they were rebounding the ball. They were just better in every segment of the game.”
And the numbers back him up.
Nikola Jokic fouled out in the Nuggets loss to the Thunder
The Thunder jumped out fast and never looked back. They led by 11 points just six minutes into the game, extended it to 24 by the end of the first quarter, and broke the NBA playoff record for first-half scoring with 87 points by halftime. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 34 points on 11-of-13 shooting and added eight assists. He also finished with a jaw-dropping +51 in 30 minutes, the highest mark in the NBA’s play-by-play era.
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While Jokic tried to remain composed, frustration was evident on the floor — and not just from him. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon voiced concern about the physicality being allowed on Jokic, saying, “They’re fouling the guy… They’re calling the second foul almost every time. But they’re fouling him. Point blank. Period.”
Still, even Jokic acknowledged the officiating wasn’t the story: “I think I wanted to set a good screen on Jamal [Murray] because they were so physical—hands on him—and it happens, you know.”
Game 2 was a complete collapse. The Nuggets were out-rebounded 50–39, turned the ball over 16 times, and allowed the Thunder to shoot over 60% from the field through three quarters. From effort to execution, they simply didn’t show up.
Asked how he’s dealing with OKC’s defensive pressure, Jokic kept it simple: “Just try to fight for the position as best as you can and deal with the consequences.”
Now tied 1–1, the series shifts to Denver for Game 3 on Friday. The Nuggets will look to regroup quickly — but if Wednesday night showed anything, it’s that they'll need to match OKC's firepower and intensity or risk falling behind against a rising juggernaut.
“We got punked,” interim coach David Adelman said. Jokic agreed.
