Oklahoma City Thunder star man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained level-headed following their playoff loss in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

The Nuggets turned around a 14-point deficit in the second half to win 121-119 on the road, with Aaron Gordon sinking a match-winning three with fewer than four seconds on the clock.

For Gilgeous-Alexander, the positive is now that the Thunder can see how they react to adversity after registering a league-best 68 wins in the regular season.

"It should be fun," he said, as quoted by ESPN.

"We're going to find out what we're made of, what we're really made of. Nobody expected it to be smooth sailing this whole journey. No journey in life is, and we know that. Today's a bump in the road, unexpected.

"No one expects to lose, especially that way, but it's the game of life. So it's about how you respond to getting knocked down."

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged that there is plenty of work to do ahead of their next meeting on Wednesday.

"It's the playoffs. We have to embrace it," he said. "We have to embrace the struggle of the playoffs. We have to embrace the adversity of the playoffs. The playoffs are a mountain to climb, so it's not going to be easy for anybody.

"I can do a better job of getting us organised and getting us quality looks. Then down the other end, I thought some of the fouls that put them on the line without using clock obviously helped them get back into it.

"So it was both ends, it was everybody. We're all in it together. We need to execute better. I need to coach better. They need to execute the plan better, and we just need to be a better team in Game 2."

Final from OKC pic.twitter.com/xYr9UtGTNz

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2025

On the other side of the coin, a jubilant Gordon suggested that he knew his match-winner was in from the moment it left his hands.

"When I shot it, did I know it was in? I knew it wasn't a miss," he said.

"We've been through a lot with this group. We've come from behind in plenty of games. It's not necessarily what we're trying to do, or what we want to do. But we know we've been in that position. We have a lot of poise in this group. A lot of grit."

Gordon has shot a career-high 43.6% from behind the three-point line this season, improving from the 33.1% he posted last season.

His showing won praise from Nikola Jokic, despite the Serbian himself registering 42 points and 22 rebounds in this game.

"He is the soul of this team. He probably doesn't get as much respect as he deserves. But I think he doesn't need it," said Jokic of Gordon.

Game 2 takes place on Wednesday.