Recap: OKC at Denver
By Mathew Huff
Denver fell victim to Russell Westbrook’s historic performance.
The Denver Nuggets gave it their best until the very end. Unfortunately, the playoffs just were not in the cards for this young team this season.
Westbrook broke every heart within Nuggets Nation when he hit a game winning three pointer that gave him not just his 42nd triple-double of the season, but a 50 point game for him as well.
Denver Nuggets
The Thunder were beneficiaries of some terrible officiating directed towards the Nuggets and they took advantage. Nikola Jokic was called for a flagrant foul and also got a technical. This should not have been called at all, since it is clear on the replay that Jokic barely pushed Westbrook and did not show any desire to physically harm him. He did foul him, but it was no where near a flagrant foul.
Official Kenny Maur deserves to be punished after such as horrendous call that shifted the momentum.
Despite a heroic effort from Danilo Gallinari, Denver just could not sneak past one of their biggest division rivals, who won by a margin of one slim point. It definitely hurts that they will miss the post season yet again, but the year has been an overall success if you really think about it.
This team was able to defeat both championship teams from last season, found a few great players who will be key for the future in Jokic, Murray, and Harris, and still finished a lot better than what was projected for them.
The Trail Blazers may be the eighth seed, but they were pushed by this young team until the very end. What is important to keep in mind is that the future looks promising for Denver. If this team can reload with one or two pieces that are still missing to the puzzle, then the Nuggets could be a lot like Utah who showed a lot of promise, then made a huge jump upward in one year.
Must Read: Jokic's Chance at Most Improved Player
This loss hurt, but rest assured that this team will be back and still continue to fight.