Chet Holmgren shines in OKC Thunder’s season-opening win over Denver Nuggets

Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder appeared to be in midseason form on Thursday when they outlasted Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets by a score of 102-87. final to start the 2024-25 NBA season.

the first gonzaga men’s basketball standout was a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor, as he outdueled Denver’s three-time MVP to finish with 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in 36 minutes.

“That’s Chet,” Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told TNT after the game. “That’s what he’s been for us since he stepped foot on the court for us, and tonight it was Chet Holmgren.”

Jokic won the first head-to-head battles of the night, including an emphatic dunk after ignoring Holmgren in the post, although the former No. 2 pick never backed down from the Serbian big. Holmgren blocked Jokic at the rim on a few occasions in the second half, including a crucial block from behind that was first called as a foul before being overturned following a challenge from OKC coach Mark Daigneault.

In the third quarter, Holmgren turned defense into offense after rejecting a Jokic layup attempt, sprinted down the court and finished off a transition opportunity with a thunderous one-handed jam that extended OKC’s lead to 14 points.

Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Aaron Wiggins added 15 points off the bench, as OKC’s reserves outscored Denver’s reserves 25-16. The Thunder also won the battle in the paint (62-52).

Jokic kept the Nuggets in the fight through his play and hustle on the boards. He finished the night with 16 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, although Jamal Murray (4 of 14) and Michael Porter Jr. (5 of 17) struggled to make shots with consistency. Thursday marked just the fourth time since the start of last season that the Nuggets were held under 90 points in a home game.

“I like to think we’re good no matter who we play,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I like to think we’re good, hopefully we’ll be good against the Chicago Bulls next game and then against the Atlanta Hawks at home. “We try to be good, we try to be better than our opponent in every game.”

Moments after the final buzzer sounded, Holmgren found his former Gonzaga teammate Julian Strawther for a quick photo session and jersey exchange. Strawther scored six points in 17 minutes off the bench. The former 29th overall pick led the NBA in scoring during the preseason and was the leading winner in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas last July.