Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Thunder past Nuggets, fellow MVP candidate Nikola Jokić with 40-point game

The Oklahoma City Thunder struck first Sunday in the first of a two-game series between the West’s top two teams and the NBA’s leading MVP candidates.

The Thunder rode a 9-0 fourth-quarter to open up a close game, then held off the Denver Nuggets for a 127-103 win. Oklahoma City outscored Denver by 21 points in the fourth quarter of what was previously a back-and-forth game between the Western Conference contenders.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 40 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks to lead the Thunder effort. He scored seven straight Thunder points in a 1:20 span late in the fourth quarter to squash any hope of a Nuggets rally.

The 40-point game was the 11th of the season for Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s seeking his first MVP trophy while leading the Western Conference-leading Thunder. He put up the big numbers in the first game since Nikola Jokić ‘s historic 31-point, 22-assist, 21-rebound effort against the Suns Friday night that was the first 30-20-20 game in NBA history.

That game reasserted Jokić’s place in the MVP conversation as he seeks the fourth MVP trophy of his career. Jokić had another strong effort with 24 points, 13 rebounds an nine assists on Sunday. But he struggled with his shot after appearing to tweak his right elbow in the first quarter as Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder got the best of his Nuggets.

Jokić had a wrap around his elbow on the bench after hitting it on the floor after a foul. But it didn’t limit his availability as he finished the game with 41 minutes. It wasn’t immediately clear if his status moving forward was in jeopardy.

Jokić scored 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter as the Nuggets opened a 29-28 lead. The game remained close through the end of the third quarter as Oklahoma City entered the fourth with an 86-83 lead. But the fourth quarter was all Thunder.

Oklahoma City rode a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 103-91 with 7:28 remaining. Then Gilgeous-Alexander capped a personal 7-2 run with a 3-pointer that extended Oklahoma City’s lead to 119-101 and put the game to bed with 2:14 remaining.

With the win, the Thunder extended their Western Conference-best record to 53-11 while dropping the Nuggets to 41-23. Oklahoma City is now 12 games ahead of the Nuggets and the 40-22 Los Angeles Lakers.

The Nuggets and Thunder will meet again in Oklahoma City Monday night.