OKC THUNDERWIRE - Needing a missed free throw, OKC rubbed its lucky four-leaf clover. It was not one gifted, but two missed free-throw attempts by Peyton Watson. Then Nikola Jokic’s offensive rebound was stolen by Alex Caruso. It was more than the perfect outcome, down two points with 16 seconds. In the final seconds, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went for the tie as he drove to the basket. Watson avenged his missed free-throw attempts when he blocked the 26-year-old’s attempt at forcing overtime.

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 124-122 loss to the Denver Nuggets was dramatic. OKC’s improbable journey to an 82-0 record has finally ended with its first loss of the season. It won its first seven games by double-digit points.

“I thought that our situational stuff was good, we gave ourselves a chance down two with the ball,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I felt that we had a great awareness in some of those situations. I thought, obviously we did not have our fastball, especially on the defensive end of the floor.”

This rematch of both teams’ season-opener was much more entertaining — an ironic twist considering how depleted Denver was this time around. The Thunder held a small 32-30 lead after the first quarter. Then OKC ballooned its lead with a 34-point second frame. It entered halftime holding a 66-55 advantage.

The early stages of the third quarter followed the script of their first seven wins. The Thunder utilized an early 12-4 run to build a 16-point cushion. OKC was on the verge of blowing this contest open. Instead, Denver retook the momentum.

The Nuggets’ 26-8 run flipped this contest upside down. Made 3-pointer after made 3-pointer slowly melted away OKC’s double- digit advantage. Jokic dominated inside and Russell

Westbrook turned back the clock. Michael Porter Jr., Christian Braun and Julian Strawther avalanched the scoring run.

A 40-point third quarter by Denver tied this contest at 95 apiece entering the final frame. It’d be the first time the Thunder entered a competitive fourth quarter this season.

Both teams exchanged buckets. Neither created distance on the scoreboard. The lead seesawed. Finally, a Nuggets 11-2 run tilted toward their favor. Watson swished in a 3-pointer on the second chance look to put the Thunder in a 117110 deficit with 3:24 left in the fourth quarter.

As a final gasp, Jalen Williams nailed a midrange jumper and transition 3-pointer to give OKC a last-second chance. Needing a stop, Jokic was fouled on a 3-point heave by Caruso. The late call resulted in splitting a pair of free-throw attempts from the three-time MVP.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s driving layup turned it into a two-point deficit with 16 seconds left. After a failed trip by the Nuggets, the MVP runner-up had a chance for an encore of last season’s game-winner at Denver. He drove past Westbrook but his scoop layup attempt flew up in the air thanks to Watson as the final buzzer sounded.

The Thunder never looked in rhythm. They shot 44% from the field and went 16-of-40 (40%) from 3. They had 29 assists on 44 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points. Turnovers were a problem for OKC as it had 14.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and six assists. Williams had a near 29-point triple-double. Chet Holmgren had a 15-point double-double.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets survived Jamal Murray’s and Aaron Gordon’s absences. They shot 47% from the field and went 16-of-38 (42.1%) from 3. They had 34 assists on 42 baskets. A busy night at the free-throw line helped make up for a lack of scorers. Denver shot 24-of-33 from the charity stripe.

The Nuggets had a top-heavy performance from their starters. Four Denver players scored 20-plus points. Jokic had 23 points, 20 rebounds and 16 assists. Westbrook totaled 29 points, six assists and six rebounds. Porter Jr. and Braun each scored 24 points apiece.

Overall, there are worse ways for the Thunder to lose their first game of the season. Could they have collected an important road win over the Nuggets if they had a sharper second half? Sure. But these are the ebbs and flows of an NBA season.

While they’ve been enjoyable for Thunder fans, the first seven games shouldn’t delude their view on an NBA season. This contest looked closer to how the average game unwraps — especially between two title contenders. OKC had its chance on the final possession to either win it or force overtime but alas, Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t. That’s life. “I thought we drifted a little bit from what we needed to do in order to control the game on the road,” Daigneault said. “But that is a 48-minute game with a lot of ups and downs. But obviously not our best performance.”

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