OKLAHOMA CITY – The only thing missing from Aaron Gordon’s game was an absurd assist.

“I wanted to get to an over-the-head pass,” Gordon said after Denver’s 105-100 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday, mentioning a pass Nikola Jokic has made multiple times in recent weeks.

“I didn’t get to it.”

Operating as Denver’s starting center with Jokic tending to back pain back in Denver, Gordon produced a stat line that Jokic would be proud of with 16 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and one steal. After playing more than 39 minutes, Gordon said he was feeling ready for more.

“Jok needs some rest. Every once in awhile, big fella gotta rest,” Gordon said.

“I’m ready to go. We can run it back.”

Gordon made 7 of 16 shots, including a couple of emphatic dunks. A reverse put-back dunk gave the Nuggets a 7-point lead before the team struggled to close the third and start the fourth. His second was an emphatic, one-handed tomahawk dunk that cut Oklahoma City’s lead to three with 90 seconds to go. His only struggle came at the line where he missed five of six free throws. Still, he was credited with the kind of performance that gave Denver a chance to win despite missing their Most Valuable Player.

“I wanted that game for a lot of our guys but really for Aaron,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I thought he was just phenomenal in terms of the effort and aggression, the playmaking, the shot blocking, the defense. We asked a lot of him tonight. We played guys heavy minutes, but I thought Aaron was just phenomenal across the board tonight. It’s unfortunate that we were unable to get the win, but we got to go home and get a little bit of rest.”

Without Jokic, the Nuggets were able to switch every screen against the Thunder, but they missed him late. A Josh Giddey offensive rebound 27 seconds left led to a Chet Holmgren 3-pointer that put Oklahoma City up four. Then, the Nuggets committed a five-second violation after a timeout and had to start fouling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who secured the win and finished his 34-point performance with four free throws.

“Joker’s so good that you can make some mistakes and he’ll make up for that just because he’s so damn good,” Gordon said. “When you don’t have a guy like that, all of those little mistakes come back to bite you.”

Though Jokic was hundreds of miles away, his impact was still apparent. Gordon said he wanted to make sure the ball was moving like it would with Jokic on the court, and he’s better suited to do a Jokic impersonation after being his teammates for a few years.

“He does things that are like only he can do in the entire world. … I’ve really benefitted from being around him. My basketball IQ has gone up just from being around a lot of these guys,” Gordon said.

“I appreciate coach Malone for putting the ball in my hands more on that left block. I just wish we could’ve gotten a win tonight.”

The seven assists matched his season high. Despite not making the type no-look pass Jokic is known for, there was nothing else missing from Denver’s spot starter at center.

“AG was fantastic tonight,” Malone said.

THUNDER 105, NUGGETS 100

What happened: Oklahoma City snagged the tiebreaker, beating Denver in three of four regular-season matchups.

The Nuggets were up nine after one quarter. Denver led by as many as 13 in the first half but settled for a 51-47 lead at halftime. Oklahoma City dominated the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, going ahead by as many as 13 before Denver made it a one-possession game in the final 90 seconds. One last Oklahoma City offensive rebound and another Nuggets turnover in the clutch sealed the Thunder’s win.

Denver dropped to 33-16 on the season, and Oklahoma City (33-15) moved back into second place in the Western Conference.

What went right: Denver’s decision to go small to start the game paid off. With Aaron Gordon playing center in place of Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets were able to switch every screen on the defensive end. The Thunder scored just 19 points in the opening quarter, which allowed Denver to build an early lead.

What went wrong: The Thunder got hot late in the third quarter and start of the fourth, using a 20-2 run to flip a seven-point Nuggets lead after Aaron Gordon’s put-back dunk late in the third to an 11-point advantage a couple of minutes into the fourth. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Lu Dort each hit a 3 in that stretch.

Highlight of the night: Aaron Gordon grabbed two offensive rebounds on the same possession and made sure there wouldn’t be a third in the middle of the third quarter. Gordon first grabbed a missed 3 from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and kicked the ball to Christian Braun. When Braun missed his cutting layup, Gordon went back up and put down a reverse put-back dunk. Gordon had another impressive dunk to make it a three-point game in the final minutes.

Up next: The Nuggets return to Denver for Friday’s game against Portland.