After a third quarter surge in game three Saturday night, the Denver Nuggets were in prime position to win and get themselves right back in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But then in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets seemingly could throw a rock in the ocean if they were standing on the pier.

Denver took a 73-71 lead into the fourth quarter, but the home team was ultimately crippled by a five-and-a-half minute stretch in the final stanza without a field goal.

Before going sour in the fourth, the game started brightly for the Nuggets in front of an energized home crowd. Aaron Afflalo, starting and playing his first minutes in the series, hit two threes in the first five minutes and had eight of Denver’s first 12 points.

In addition to the inspirational start by Afflalo, the Nuggets were able to get two early fouls on Thunder big men Kendrick Perkins and Nick Collison.

Denver ended the quarter with a five point lead and momentum.

In the second quarter the Nuggets offense took a turn for the worse. Denver scored 18 points while giving up 30 the Oklahoma City.

The game was tied at 45 late in the half, but the Thunder went on a late run to take a seven point lead into halftime.

But as they have much of the season, the Nuggets showed resiliency after the break and came out as if they were fighting for their season. The defensive intensity was ratcheted up by Denver as they held Oklahoma City to only 15 points in the third quarter. But even with the solid defense the Nuggets struggled to take advantage on the offensive end.

But the big basket that Denver needed finally came late in the third from J.R. Smith. In game two, Smith saw minimal time due to ineffective play and poor decision making. Then a day later he said that the team had no pulse and that he couldn’t see himself playing in Denver again next season. But on Saturday he played with passion and poise, and his three from the corner tied the game at 71 with momentum firmly on the Nuggets side.

The momentum that they had, however, was killed with a self-inflicted wound.

With Denver up 73-71, Raymond Felton stole the ball from Kevin Durant and got fouled on his layup attempt. Felton missed his first free throw, after which a technical foul was assessed to the Thunder. Smith stepped up to shoot the technical free throw, and he missed. Felton then made it a trifecta as he missed his second attempt. In total, three points given away by the Nuggets in the last second of the quarter. That sequence provided a snapshot for the Denver horror show from the line, where they shot 30-45 (.667).

“The free throw line I think is a little nightmarish right now,” Nuggets coach George Karl said after the game.

Then came the fourth quarter that may ultimately cost the Nuggets the series and the season. No matter what type of shot Denver took–inside, outside, contested, not-contested—they couldn’t hit a thing. At one point the Nuggets were 2-15 in the quarter. With 2:38 remaining Denver was at 80 points, meaning only seven points had been scored in the quarter.

The crowd quickly emptied Pepsi Center as the Thunder took a commanding lead. But the Nuggets did provide one last, furious rally. A couple high-difficulty threes by Smith along with some missed Thunder free throws allowed Denver to cut the deficit to one, 95-94.

The Thunder then got a dunk as they broke the Nuggets press. And Smith threw up one last three looking for the tie with James Harden draped all over him. The shot fell short and Smith’s plea for a foul fell on deaf ears and the Thunder took a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.

For all the talk about the Nuggets depth, the Thunder showed that they are more than the Durant and Westbrook show.

Once again Oklahoma City found someone to complement the two stars.

Durant shot only 7-22 while Westbrook was 6-15, but Serge Ibaka controlled the paint while racking up 22 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.

“He was the difference maker,” Perkins said of Ibaka. “He knocked down his shot when he needed to, he attacked the glass, he blocked shots, he changed the game. He was the best player on the court besides K.D. and Russell.”

Meanwhile the Nuggets will be left to rue missed chances, especially in games one and three and Denver will try to stave off elimination in game four on Monday night.

“Nobody wants to lose, let alone be embarrassed. That’s what they’re doing to us right now, they’re embarrassing us,” Smith said. “They’re up 3-0. We’re in a real tough position. We have to fight back.”