For the Thunder, it was to foul up three and never give the Nuggets a chance at a decent look from the outside. For the Nuggets, it was to breathe in some final hopes to snatch Game 1. Chet Holmgren blinked first in the game of chicken.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did two things when he sank two free throws with 13.2 seconds remaining in Game 1 between his Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. First, and most importantly in the moment,

The Thunder squandered a big lead against the Nuggets in the first game of the Western Conference and some of their decisions to foul were a factor.