Denver Nuggets Stormed by Thunder, 110-104

The Denver Nuggets fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night by a final score of 110-104.

The Denver Nuggets held a 6-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and jumped out to an early 9-point lead in the second quarter. The Thunder stormed back, taking the lead before halftime at 57-53.

Both the Thunder and the Denver Nuggets traded baskets in the third quarter, but OKC ended the period holding a 5-point lead at 84-79. The Denver Nuggets were not able to overtake the Thunder in the fourth quarter, as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City to a 6-point victory at the Pepsi Center.

For the Denver Nuggets, Danilo Gallinari led the way in scoring with 27 points on 10-21 shooting to go along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Kenneth Faried added a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds, while Joffrey Lauvergne pitched in with 12 points in 20 minutes off the bench on 6-6 shooting.

Both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook recorded double-doubles to lead Oklahoma City to a victory in Denver. Durant scored 30 points and recorded 12 rebounds, while Westbrook scored 27 points and dished out 12 dimes. Even though the Thunder only shot 42 percent on the night and 21 percent from beyond the arc, strong play from both their stars allowed them to outlast Denver.

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The Denver Nuggets will have to shake this one off quickly as they prepare to host the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.