OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended the game and possibly the Most Valuable Player debate Monday at Paycom Center.

The game was tied with 10 seconds left after a record-tying performance from last year’s MVP, another Nikola Jokic triple-double and a second flagrant foul committed by Thunder forward Lu Dort in as many games.

An off-ball screen by Jaylin Williams got Spencer Jones switched onto Gilgeous-Alexander instead of Christian Braun, who spent most of the night on the Thunder star. Jones lunged for a deflection and had to force Gilgeous-Alexander right instead of where the help was coming from in the middle of the court. Gilgeous-Alexander recognized as much and hit a step-back 3-pointer, enough to give the Thunder a 129-126 win, with fewer than 3 seconds left.

“He hit a hell of a shot,” Nuggets coach David Adelman conceded after his team dropped to 0-3 against the defending champions this season.

“I thought it was well-contested.”

For much of the night, that wasn’t the case. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points. He made 14 of 21 shots from the field, hit two of his three 3-pointers in the final 15 seconds and was perfect on 4 free throws.

“He busted my ass tonight. It kind of is what it is. I’ve played him enough that I know I’ve had good games against him,” Braun said.

“Last game, I know I played well and got a block in a big moment. Tonight, he made the shot in a big moment. He made a couple of them. I know that I’m going to play him again. I’m going to play him in the playoffs. I’m very confident. He got the better of me this matchup, and that’s what it is, and they got the win.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s first 3-pointer of the night, a step-back to his left over Braun, gave him 22 points on the night and gave the Thunder a 1-point advantage. It marked his 126^th consecutive game scoring 20 or more points, which tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive 20-point games.

“I don’t know if people know how hard it is to do that, to make 20 points in 10 (consecutive) games, not 120 or whatever,” Jokic said. “It’s special, and he’s a special player. It’s a pleasure and privilege to play against him.”

Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists on 12 of 19 shooting on a night the Thunder were without starting big men Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren as well as guard Alex Caruso, who has also defended Jokic in recent matchups. Jalen Williams also missed the game for Oklahoma City, while Peyton Watson was Denver’s only rotation player to miss the game.

When it looked like the Nuggets were done for, down 7 in the final 90 seconds, Jokic revived the Nuggets. It started with a 4-point possession. He hit 1 free throw after Dort was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul for a shot to the face while Jokic set a screen.

“I’m done talking about that. Like, it’s every time we play them,” Adelman said. “You’ve got to move past it, just try to win the game. Obviously, that play helped us stay in the game. Sometimes a play like that can flip the game. It got us to tie the game. I don’t know. His arm flailed. It happened to catch him in the face. That’s all I’ll say about it.”

Jokic, who called Dort’s Flagrant 2 in the previous meeting “unnecessary,” didn’t take exception to Monday’s foul. He said his face is fine. The three-time MVP scored inside to make it a one-point game with 31 seconds left only for Gilgeous-Alexander to answer with his first 3-pointer in the clutch. Another Jokic 3-pointer was paired with an off-ball foul drawn by Jamal Murray, who finished with 21 points on 23 shots after starting the day questionable to play with a left ankle sprain. Murray made the free throw to tie it, but Gilgeous-Alexander finished things with an MVP moment to go with 15 assists without a turnover and 9 rebounds.

“Nikola made his play. He made the 3-pointer. Jamal made the free throw. Those are our big-time guys,” Adelman said.

“Shai, obviously, finished it.”

THUNDER 129, NUGGETS 126

What happened: Oklahoma City erased a 13-point deficit in the first quarter and led 66-60 at halftime. Denver closed within 3 to start the fourth and finished down 3, dropping to 39-26 and sixth in the Western Conference.

What went right: Aaron Gordon scored 19 of his 23 points in the first quarter, while Tim Hardaway Jr. went 8 of 12 from 3-point range to score 28 points.

What went wrong: Thunder center Jaylin Williams went 7 of 11 from 3-point range, while three other teammates made three 3-pointers.

Highlight of the night: Gordon caught a left-handed pass from Jokic through traffic and finished the play with a reverse dunk that put Denver up 12 in the middle of the first quarter.

Up next: The Nuggets head back to Denver for Wednesday’s game against the Rockets.