Did Nuggets and OKC Thunder deliver worst shooting game in 21 Years? Abysmal shooting display by MVP frontrunners explored

The Denver Nuggets and the OKC Thunder became part of NBA history in Game 4 for all the wrong reasons. They opened the first quarter, combining for 25 points and shooting a combined 1-of-25 shots from the 3-point line. While the Thunder shot 27.3% from the field, the Nuggets shot only 9.1%.

After four quarters, the OKC Thunder had shot 35.6% from the field and Denver had shot 31.3%. Both teams shot a combined 24.4% from the 3-point line, making a total of 21-of-86 attempts.

According to Associated Press NBA writer Tim Reynolds, the combined shooting percentage of the Thunder and the Nuggets was the lowest in an NBA playoff game in the last 21 years.

The MVP candidates Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led their teams in scoring. Jokic scored a game-high 27 points along with 13 rebounds. He shot just 31.8% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc. SGA had a team-high 25 points on 42.1% shooting. He missed all five of his 3-point shots.

Four other Thunder players scored in double digits. Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins each scored 11 points. Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso scored 10 points each. Aaron Gordon was the only efficient player in the game with 15 points on 50.0% shooting from the field and 42.9% shooting from the 3-point line.

Nikola Jokic reveals the reason behind his poor performance in the Nuggets vs. Thunder series

While the Nuggets are certainly doing more than they were expected to in the series, Nikola Jokic's performance has been a big talking point. According to ESPN, for the first time in his career, the 3X MVP has shot less than 40.0% in three consecutive games where he had taken at least 15 shots.

When asked about his poor performance, Jokic credited the Thunder's defense on him.

"They're playing really good defense on me," Jokic said. "They're really into my body, physical. I think I missed two or three open looks night, so it's a little bit of everything.

"They're shrinking the floor on me. They're having a guy behind the defender, so it's a bit of everything. I need to do a better job, of course, but it's part of the game.

Game 4 was more of the Thunder team somehow shooting better from the field than the horrible shooting from the Denver team. The 92-87 win for the OKC Thunder was a big win before they had the home-court advantage for Game 5.