Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Admits His Faults in Thunder's Game 3 Loss to Nuggets

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Orlando Silva | Last updated May 10, 2025 1:24 PM ET

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder succumbed to the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.

After making a strong statement in Game 2 with a commanding 149-106 win, the Thunder couldn't keep up against Nikola Jokic and Co., going down 2-1 after three matchups.

Denver needed overtime to seal the deal after regulation ended with a 102-102 tie. Once the extra time started, the Thunder were nowhere to be seen and the Nuggets took over and secured their second win of the series with a 113-104 score.

Gilgeous-Alexander had a night to forget on the offensive end of the ball, as he only scored 18 points (7-of-22 from the field and 1-of-6 from deep). He still grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out seven assists, but it wasn't enough for the West's No. 1 seed.

The point guard went missing during the final five minutes of the game, leaving Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein as the guys who needed to step up and lead the team to a win.

The only field goal he made in the fourth quarter was a 3-pointer at 7:33. After that, the MVP candidate missed seven field goal attempts until the fourth quarter finished.

"SGA" reflected on his performance, especially down the stretch against the Nuggets, taking the blame for the way the game ended for the Thunder.

"When the game slows down, it usually comes down to your best players making shots and plays – I didn't do a good enough job of that tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander said.

In the final five minutes of Game 3, Oklahoma City was no longer just the regular season darling that flirted with 70 wins.

This was a team battling familiar demons, struggling to heal old wounds. pic.twitter.com/KUUmh4rzuP
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) May 10, 2025

After a remarkable first round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Thunder have found a much harder opponent in the West semifinals.

The Nuggets went from being surrounded by a lot of questions entering the series against the Los Angeles Clippers to being 2-1 against one of the candidates to win it all this season.

Oklahoma City faces a complex situation ahead of Game 4, but they might have found a way to slow down Denver after Jokic missed 10 3-pointers on Friday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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