Denver had regrouped quickly after the halftime adjustments. As soon as the Third Quarter began, they launched a fierce counterattack.
The double-digit deficit had clearly made them feel some urgency.
After all, the Thunder weren't a team that was easy to come back against.
And at first, their rally did give the Thunder plenty of trouble.
Jokic's powerful post-up game and Aaron Gordon's frequent off-ball cuts repeatedly exposed the Thunder's interior defense.
With no other choice, Donovan took Gafford out and gave Uncle more minutes once again, hoping to shore up their Rim Protection.
But the Nuggets had an answer for that, too.
They immediately adjusted their strategy and went back to running the Jokic Murray Pick and Roll up top.
And Jamal Murray was shooting extremely well in the Third Quarter.
In the brief five minutes from the middle to the end of the quarter, he went four for seven from the field, two for three from beyond the arc, and two for two from the line, erupting for 12 points and helping the Nuggets pull the deficit back to around five.
Unfortunately for the Nuggets, all their efforts ultimately came to nothing.
With two and a half minutes left in the Third Quarter,
Chen Xi suddenly caught fire and went on a rampage, making plays that defied all logic.
He scored repeatedly over several consecutive possessions, attacking the basket and hitting shots from outside.
In just four possessions, he sank two threes, threw down a dunk, and even drew a shooting foul on Jokic.
In only about two and a half minutes, Chen Xi scored 10 straight points!
He wiped out almost all of Murray's hard work that quarter in an instant.
Amid that absurd scoring explosion, the Nuggets players began to lose their composure. The Nuggets fans