NBA Playoffs: Oklahoma City overturns Denver and ties the score in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals

From a historically low-scoring game to a wild, suspenseful romp, Game 4 between Denver and Oklahoma City put on a show Sunday night in their Western Conference semifinal. Two short days after losing to the Nuggets (2-1) , a pressured Thunder got back on track to snatch victory from Denver (92-87) and return to 2-2. Without convincing, however, against the Nuggets who had, for a time, the game in hand and may therefore have regrets.

Because the game started with a purge. With a rather surprising record: only 25 points scored in the first quarter, a record equaled by the lowest total in playoff history. The Thunder led by nine points, while the Nuggets concluded a terrible first half with a 2/22 shooting performance (including no points from Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic). This was undoubtedly a consequence of the high-intensity match the two franchises had played on Friday night.

Denver persisted in its attempts from behind the arc despite a clear lack of success in the exercise (3/22 at halftime). But Christian Braun (17 points, 4 rebounds) allowed his team to reduce the deficit and stay in the game despite catastrophic statistics.

It was in the third quarter that the game completely changed. More rhythm, more skill. So much so that David Adelman's charges, initially in a bad way, took the upper hand, technically first - well helped by Jokic (27 points, 13 rebounds) -, to take a 6-point lead at the start of the final period. A little overwhelmed by the intensity of their evening's rivals, OKC got carried away in the final minutes, madly accelerating the offensive pace. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (25 points, 6 rebounds) leading the way, although less sharp than usual, the Thunder inflicted an 11-0 run on the visitors with six minutes left.

The tension mounted several notches, with a propensity for contact in increasingly aggressive duels. Until Denver gradually eased off the ball and saw the home team finally pull away. Everything remains open for both teams, who will meet again on Tuesday night (3:30 a.m. French time), this time on the OKC court.