DENVER — All the Thunder had to do was play any defense at the Pepsi Center.
It started to in the fourth quarter, but the issue was what kind of defense it was playing. A 15-point deficit had been whittled down to one. A collective effort had been established.
But in the Thunder's 127-124 loss, one slip led to a redemptive moment for the Nuggets and a second consecutive loss for Oklahoma City.
Paul George seemingly had taken the Pepsi Center's hearts like Russell Westbrook did in April.
From a little closer in on the left wing than Westbrook's dagger 3-pointer in a 50-point triple-double last season, George scored his game-high 43rd point to tie the game 124-124 with 2.