Round Two of the NBA Playoffs for the Denver Nuggets is off to a fast and furious start. The series now returns to Denver to determine which team is the sleeping giant that has been awakened. Was it the former champion Nuggets who stole home court advantage on a game-winning three-point shot in Game One, or the number one seed Oklahoma City Thunder who responded with the greatest scoring performance in NBA history in Game Two?

Riding a Game One high after a 112-119 win on the road, the Nuggets won on a game-winning three-point shot by Aaron Gordon to steal home-court advantage on the road. But by Game Two, the Nuggets were brought back to reality with a 149-106 blowout at the hands of the Thunder. The 43-point win by the Thunder set a playoff record with 87 points scored in the first half, surpassing the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 86 points in the 1990 Finals.

Whether it was a win by one point or 43 points, the Thunder knew going down 0-2 at home in the series was a death sentence. With the Game One win, the Nuggets still hold home-court advantage in Round Two. The series now shifts to Denver, tied 1-1. The win by the Thunder was the first win by any home team in Round Two of the NBA playoffs.

“We knew what was at stake tonight,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We came out desperate. We wanted just to take care and control the things that we knew we could. And we did a pretty good job of that, specifically to start the game. The start carried us through the rest of the night.” The Thunder were led by MVP candidate Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 34 points in the win.

The embarrassing loss by the Nuggets riled up the team and could be the catalyst for inspiration when they return to Denver for Game Three on Friday. “I’m not sitting here tonight talking about the 1-1 thing tonight,” said Nuggets interim coach David Adelman. “Not tonight. We’re not going to flush that. We’ve got to be better. We know that. That said, it’s nice to know that you got a win underneath your belt.”

In other NBA action, the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Houston Rockets 4-2 in Round One and now face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Round Two. The Wolves beat the LA Lakers and LeBron James, 4-1. In the Eastern Conference, the Celtics face the New York Knicks in Round Two, and the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Indiana Pacers.

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