With the most recent cold front, the reigning champion Denver Nuggets blew into Oklahoma City and ice-blasted the upstart Thunder from the ranks of the undefeated teams.

Nikola Jokic sparked a 128-95 thrashing of the frigid-shooting Thunder on Sunday, scoring a game-high 28 points.

OKC made 41.1% of their field goals.

Here are five key lessons from the game.

1. There will be no respite for the defending champs

The Nuggets shot 60.2% from the field, breaking the 60-percentage-point barrier for the 17th time since the start of the 2017-18 season.

Even with a 35-point lead, Nuggets coach Michael Malone kept urging his players to dump it on the vanquished Thunder.

There is a method to the madness.

“Winning a championship, the one thing you worry about is we can just show up this year and we’re gonna win,” Malone said. “No, that is not the case. Even if it was miraculous in nature, what we did last year has nothing to do with this season. It’s early, but after three games, our players have the necessary mindset.”

The Nuggets have trailed for a total of 4 minutes and 17 seconds in their first three games of the season.

2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 30-point streak has been broken

In Oklahoma City’s first two games, the herky-jerky guard gave opponents a pair of 30 pieces.

You had to wonder if the sixth-year vet would ever hit a shot in this one.

As frigid as the 36-degree temperatures outside, Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first eight shots of the afternoon and went 2-for-16 from the field with just seven points.

Nonetheless, he persisted, eventually embracing the position of setup man.

Despite the misses, Gilgeous-Alexander had three assists in the first stanza, including a lob to Chet Holmgren only seven minutes in. The 25-year-old recorded seven assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander came into the game averaging 32.5 points per game while shooting 61.4% from the field and 57.1% from three.

This performance ended Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak of 37 straight games with 20 or more points. He’d also scored 10 points or more in 75 straight games.

That is no longer the case.

Denver’s smothering defense deserves respect as well.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, in particular.

“We asked him to guard the best players 82 regular-season games and 20 playoff games last year.” Malone stated. “He understands that’s his greatest gift to this basketball team.”

3. There will be no Chet Holmgren block party

Holmgren failed to repeat his seven-block performance from two days earlier in Cleveland on Sunday.

In addition to his first career double-double, Holmgren tallied seven blocks in a 108-105 victory over the Cavaliers. The feat set a rookie record for most blocks in a game for the Thunder.

Holmgren blocked five shots in the first half alone, tying the record for most blocks in a half since 2020 (Nerlens Noel).

Taking on two-time Kia MVP and reigning NBA Finals MVP Jokic proved to be a more difficult task for the 21-year-old rookie. But he did not back down from the task. Holmgren was in position to defend nearly every Jokic shot.

However, due to the latter’s high release point, success was almost impossible.

Holmgren had no blocks in his 25.3 minutes on the court.

On the offensive end, the rookie finished with 19 points and four rebounds on 7-for-12 shooting.

With 17 points in the first half, Holmgren did the majority of his damage offensively.

Finally, the game versus Denver served as the rookie’s introduction to the NBA.

4. Nikola Jokic’s good performance marred by turnover

Jokic had nine mistakes against Memphis on Friday and dropped that number in half against Oklahoma City, but it was still too many by his standards.

However, Jokic, like Holmgren, did the majority of his damage against the Thunder in the first half, scoring 22 points. Since his first MVP season (2020-21), the 28-year-old has played 92 games with a 25/10/5 line, which is the most in the NBA over that time period.

Through three games, the veteran is averaging 26.3 points, 13 rebounds, and 7.7 assists, keeping the Nuggets unblemished.

Denver outrebounded Oklahoma City 48-29 and outscored them 72-58 in the paint.

5. The Nuggets’ bench is on fire

The offseason departures of Bruce Brown and Jeff Green raised concerns about Denver’s depth heading into the season.

Despite this, the Nuggets never expressed concern. And with good reason.

Denver’s bench, led by Reggie Jackson, Peyton Watson, Christian Braun, and Zeke Nnaji, scored 16 of the team’s 69 first-half points, helping the Nuggets take an 18-point lead into halftime. The group earned a total of 45 points.

“We got some great contributions off the bench,” remarked Malone.

The Nuggets’ backups had scored 59 points in the team’s opening two games, including a 37-point outburst on the road at Memphis on Friday.

Jackson, 33, had limited action during the Nuggets’ playoff run last season. In 20 games, he had 14 DNPs. But he’s played at least 20 minutes in every game thus far. Jackson’s great experience has a calming effect on the situation.

He can also simply play.

Meanwhile, Braun has continued where he left off last season, providing excellent defense and timely playmaking.

Watson, 21, appeared in 23 games with two starts last season, averaging 8.1 minutes per game. The highflyer seemed to be adjusting nicely to his newfound prominence.