Aaron Gordon drained a transition 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left, and the Denver Nuggets escaped with a 121-119 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But OKC has five perimeter defenders (Alex Caruso, Jalen Williams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace and Lu Dort) who ranked in the 89th percentile or higher in defensive estimated plus-minus (one of the most trusted catch-all metrics in NBA front offices). And all five will get their shots at Murray.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Denver Nuggets in Round 2 of the 2025 NBA playoffs. After waiting a week, the first seed finally learned their opponent after the Nuggets blew out the Clippers in a 120-101 Game 7 win on Saturday.