The Denver Nuggets took a rough loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and things could have been a bit different for them early in the fourth quarter. With Chet Holmgren in the game with five fouls,
Malone, who has roamed the Nuggets’ sideline for 10 seasons, credited Popovich with helping him get hired by Cleveland (2005) and New Orleans (2010) as an assistant, en route to his first head coaching job with Sacramento. Now he’s the fourth-longest tenured coach in the league with Denver, behind only Popovich, Erik Spoelstra and Steve Kerr.
The Nuggets had a chance to hand the Thunder their 12th loss of the season with 12 minutes to go, but Oklahoma City dominated the fourth quarter of a showdown between the two leading candidates for Most Valuable Player.
Most of Zeke Nnaji’s work this season has been done in the background, after games. He’s taking advantage of a moment in the foreground now.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-103 in a matchup between the top two teams in the Western Conference standings.