The Denver Nuggets - playing without the recently shipped off Nene for the first time - hung tight with the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder through the first half on Thursday night, but the Thunder ran away in the third quarter and defeated Denver 103-90.
Timofey Mozgov started in Nene's place (newly-acquired JaVale McGee should be ready for the Nuggets next game), but finished with just two points in 12 minutes. Andre Miller came off the bench to lead Denver's scoring efforts with 17 points, and Danilo Gallinari added 15 of his own.
Unsurprisingly, Kevin Durant 24 and Russell Westbrook 23, paced the Thunder in scoring.
Denver (24-20) will next play on Saturday, when they host the Boston Celtics.
For analysis, news and info on these two teams, visit Thunder blog Welcome To Loud Cityand Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs. For more updates, stay with SB Nation Denver. For news and notes around the league, head over to SB Nation's NBA news hub.