DENVER — If the Nuggets do indeed thrive on the adrenaline of a thrilling playoff game or series, then a 3-1 lead over the Thunder might’ve been too simple for them.

Instead, they’ll have to find a way to win two of the last three games to upset the top seed in the Western Conference — with two of those three situated in Oklahoma City after Denver’s 92-87 Game 4 loss.

“It’s not a funeral, guys,” a relaxed Jamal Murray told reporters. “It’s best out of three. We lost the game. On to the next.”

Murray airballed a 3-pointer with 23 seconds to go, trying to get within two and set up another magical moment for the cardiac Nuggets. It was a fitting end. There was no magic in the ball Sunday. Ball Arena’s 3-point line was a house of horrors for both teams in a matinee that tipped 36 hours after they played overtime. Denver went 11 of 45. Oklahoma City was 10 of 41, prevailing despite a 36% shooting day from the field.

Jalen Williams made a pair of free throws with a second left to clinch the result.

“I’m sure that wasn’t the most fun game to watch,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said.

And when a game is defined by its absence of aesthetics, the rare haymakers thrown by either team can feel twice as conclusive. The Nuggets went on a 16-3 run early in the second half, taking their first lead of the afternoon when Aaron Gordon — right on schedule all postseason — had enough time to settle himself with a dribble before punching a wide-open 3.

Denver stretched it out to as many as eight. But the Thunder resisted the wide-eyed and inexperienced label that has followed it around all series, scoring 11 straight early in the fourth while the Nuggets went almost five minutes without a point. Role players Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace got hot for just enough time to swing the result.

Denver’s bench was outscored 35-8, while the stars remained dim on both sides.

Nikola Jokic’s 27 points were contained, amassed over 22 shots. He missed a pair of free throws with 3:15 left that could have cut Denver’s deficit to two. Instead, Williams drove for an easy layup at the other end.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s production was also modest by his standard. But if there was one difference in Oklahoma City’s late execution after a lousy Game 3 ending, it was his ability to get to his spots and knock down a couple of key shots, stretching the lead to 83-78. He finished with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting.

Murray and Christian Braun scored 17 points each for Denver. Gordon assembled a double-double. Denver won Michael Porter Jr.’s minutes by double figures, but his jumper faded against a backdrop of shoulder pain once more.

And in the end, a grim start caught up with the Nuggets. For a quarter, they seemed determined to write a new chapter in franchise history books, missing 20 of 22 shots from the field and all 14 attempts from the 3-point line. They airballed twice as many shots as they made. Their five turnovers were an after-thought.

“Rough day at the office,” Murray said.

It started innocuously. Murray missed an open catch-and-shoot 3 when the Thunder doubled Jokic in the post. Porter pulled up in space when OKC didn’t pick him up during a transition push, but his shot fell short of the rim. Gordon missed a drive-and-kick jumper from the corner, where he’s been lights out. The offense was generating good looks.

But the bricks started to have a contagious effect, until the Nuggets found themselves unwittingly building Denver a new skyscraper. Their eight first-quarter points were, unsurprisingly, the fewest they’ve ever scored in a playoff quarter. In the regular season, they’ve been held to seven or fewer points six times in franchise history.

A landmark 12 minutes deserved a fitting end, and Jokic provided it by unnecessarily launching a 60-foot heave when he had 4.1 seconds to bring the ball up. It took another two minutes for the Nuggets to get to 10 points. It took until the 9:11 mark of the second for them to make their first jump shot of the game — a 15-footer from Gordon. It took 17 tries to sink a 3-pointer.

“You can’t speak out of both sides of your mouth, right?” Adelman said. “If we’re creating wide-open corner 3s, those are good shots. If I’m telling guys to drive back into Chet (Holmgren), I don’t think that’s the best answer. … You can’t get impatient with the missed shots, because then you’re playing too much isolation basketball, too much only pick-and-roll. And that wears down your best players.”

By the grace of the basketball gods — the Nuggets’ defense deserves some credit, too — they were never out of the game, never facing a worse deficit than 23-8. That’s around the time Braun started establishing some offense by sheer force of will, getting to the foul line repeatedly.

The whistle had healing powers. Denver made 17 of 20 free throws in the first half to offset its 8 for 38 clip from the field. Braun battled for his life at both ends to keep his squad within striking distance.

Jokic ended his personal streak of 14 straight misses beyond the arc with the unlikeliest of shots, an off-balance leaner around Jaylin Williams, 0.1 seconds before the break. The Nuggets were down 42-36. Their execution out of a zone defensive shell had provided hope. But their “tired legs,” as Adelman put it, cost them in the end.

Jokic has fallen to 39.1% on 92 field goal attempts in the series, with 23 turnovers and 21 assists.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” he said. “They are playing really good defense on me. They are really into my body, handsy, physical. I think I missed two or three open looks tonight. … They are shrinking the floor for me. They’re having a guy behind (my) defender.”

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