After a seven-game series with the Clippers in round one, the Nuggets had a short turnaround. They beat LA on Saturday in the first round and then faced Oklahoma City in Game 1 on Monday evening.
Denver outscored OKC 71-59 in the second half and closed the game on a 15-4 run. They were down by nine points with three minutes left in Game 1. The Thunder were up 119-118 with less than 10 seconds. Chet Holmgren missed a free throw, and Denver rebounded the ball. Christian Braun passed the ball to Russell Westbrook, who found an open Aaron Gordon on the wing. For the second time in the 2025 playoffs, Gordon hit a game-winning shot for Denver. The Nuggets stole Game 1 from the Thunder.
