Crucial non-call helps Thunder take down Nuggets

With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter of the Thunder's 127-103 win over the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon, Holmgren hit Russell Westbrook in the face on a drive. It would have been his sixth foul, but the referees didn't call anything. Instead, the officials later called a technical foul on Nuggets coach Michael Malone, and Holmgren stayed in the game.

Jokic finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists but shot 10-for-23 from the field, 2-for-10 from behind the arc and 2-for-6 from the foul line.

Part of that may have been due to an elbow injury he suffered in the first quarter which made him look uncomfortable — he was 6-for-11 shooting in the first quarter and 4-for-12 later. But it was also due to dealing with two seven-footers in Holmgren and Hartenstein. More than half of Jokic's shots after the first quarter were three-point attempts, a sign he couldn't find success driving inside.

Holmgren was a game-high +32, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. The non-call marked a potential five-point swing, with the Thunder getting a dunk from Holmgren and a technical free throw rather than the Nuggets getting two free throws. 

But more than that, the non-call let OKC play a super-sized lineup against Jokic, Aaron Gordon and the 6-foot-10 Michael Porter Jr., who was a game-low -33 in his 38 minutes.

The Thunder turned the game into a blowout late, winning by 24 and closing the game on a 24-7 run. But it could have been a different story if OKC didn't have Holmgren for the fourth.