Gordon's game-winner, Jokic's 42 points, 22 rebounds lead Nuggets past Thunder in West semis Game 1

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nikola Jokic showed why he's a finalist for another MVP award with his historic stat line. But with Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at stake, the ball again found Aaron Gordon's hands.

Gordon hit a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining, supporting Jokic's 42-point, 22-rebound effort and giving the Denver Nuggets a stunning 121-119 comeback win over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.

It was the kind of finish one might expect of a team that won the NBA title just two seasons ago.

“We just didn’t want to miss the moment, didn’t want to miss the opportunity," Gordon said. "We knew that if we waited, it may be too late. I’m glad we showed our mettle, our grit, but we’re not satisfied.”

It was Gordon's second game-winner of the playoffs. His dunk on a Jokic miss as time expired lifted the Nuggets past the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 of their first-round series.

Gordon did much more than hit the deciding shot against the Thunder.

“Aaron’s going to be a hero again," Denver interim coach David Adelman said. "But I’m also looking at 14 rebounds. I’m looking at 22 points. Looking at ball-handling responsibilities, leadership. He is a Denver Nugget, man. Like, he is the soul of our team. So, cool to see him have two moments that no one will forget.”

Jokic became just the fourth player to have at least 40 points, 20 rebounds and five assists in a playoff game.

Denver’s Russell Westbrook, who started his career with the Thunder, assisted on Gordon’s game-winner. It was his first playoff game in Oklahoma City as an opposing player.

Jamal Murray added 21 points for the fourth-seeded Nuggets, who stole the opener after closing out a seven-game series against the Clippers on Saturday.

Denver's opportunity came after Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren missed two free throws with the Thunder leading by a point.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the other MVP finalist in the game, had 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Thunder, who hadn't played in more than a week after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Alex Caruso added 20 points, six assists and five steals.

Jokic picked up three fouls during a two-minute stretch in the third quarter after committing just one foul in the first half. He stayed in the game with the Thunder leading 73-64.

The Nuggets closed the gap to 90-85 by the end of the third quarter.

With the Thunder leading 104-95 and just under seven minutes remaining, Jokic elbowed Oklahoma City's Lu Dort in the head on a drive, and the play was reviewed. The play was ruled a flagrant 1 on Jokic — his fifth foul — and Dort made two free throws.

Denver spent the rest of the game closing the gap, and Jokic never picked up the sixth foul.

The Thunder helped Denver by fouling intentionally while leading, and the Nuggets took advantage by making all four free throws in the final 12.9 seconds.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said he didn't regret the strategy that ultimately kept the Nuggets close.

“It didn’t go our way tonight, but it’s worked out well for us in the past,” Daigneault said. “We’ll continue to look at it and learn from it, but I don’t think that’s why we lost the game.”

Oklahoma City led 113-102 with 4:31 remaining. The Thunder, normally one of the best closing teams in the league, fell apart against the veteran Nuggets.

“I never felt like anybody wavered,” Adelman said. “And that doesn’t mean you’re going to win the game. But we all know in the NBA playoffs these games are so long. You just try to give yourself a chance. We did that.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) works to get past Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., left, in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic (15) reacts to an officials call as Oklahoma City Thunder's Chet Holmgren (7) looks on in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) takes an elbow to the back of the head from Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic (15) in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) works to the basket as Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic (15) and Russell Westbrook (4) defend in the second half of Game 1 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series Monday, May 5, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.

Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”

Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)