7 people shot at popular Oklahoma City bar during Game 1 vs. Nuggets

Seven people were shot at a bar in Oklahoma City as fans gathered to watch Game 1 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. The clash between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, as well as the heroics of Aaron Gordon, were overshadowed by the shooting.

Seven people were injured by gunfire at The Collective, a restaurant and bar close to downtown Oklahoma City, according to WBAL. Luckily, everyone is expected to make a full recovery after the scary scene that took place on Monday night.

Fans gathered to watch Oklahoma City open up their second-round series against the Nuggets at home. The top-seeded Thunder lost a heartbreaker to Denver, walking away with a 121-119 loss. Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. held the lead for most of the game before Jokic orchestrated a comeback in the fourth quarter.

After two missed free throws by Chet Holmgren, Aaron Gordon made a go-ahead three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left. Jalen Williams’ half-court heave fell short and Denver stole home court advantage in the Western conference semifinals.

While Monday night’s shooting is a tragic conclusion to the night’s events, the series projects to be a long, hard-fought battle. Jokic made a serious statement in Game 1, scoring 42 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in the win. On the other side, Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder with 33 points.

In the end, the game came down to the supporting cast. The Thunder’s youth showed, allowing Denver to steal the game in the final seconds.

The vaunted Oklahoma City defense expected to put up a good fight against Jokic. Despite that, they were largely unable to stop the Serbian big man from controlling the game. His scoring and rebounding sparked the Nuggets’ comeback.

Looking ahead to Game 2, the Thunder enter with the mindset that the game is a must win. The Nuggets, on the other hand, want to take a 2-0 lead back to Denver.