In the opening half, of OKC it was a case of the shots just not dropping. And while Denver shot about 50 per cent for the half from three-point range, OKC shot below 20.
Adams, matched up with playmaking centre Nikola Jokic, was being given a hard time on defence. Despite solid play against Jokic, the Serbian big man was hitting tough shots and when Adams rotated out to a smaller defender, he was getting torched with jump shots.
Needing some sort of spark to make the game competitive again, Thunder All-Star forward Paul George stepped up to the mark and, together with a large contribution from the bench players, chipped away at the deficit.
The Thunder drew back within 10 points of the Nuggets after trailing by over 20 at stages in the match and in the final quarter they still had a chance.
Given a lift from the bench, OKC found their stroke in the final period and drew level with just 1.8 seconds remaining. That was enough for Harris to launch a shot over Russell Westbrook however to seal the win.
Adams finished the night hitting on just five of his 11 attempts for 10 points to go with eight rebounds. George was the star for OKC, with 43 points, while Westbrook was producing although his shots weren't falling, dishing 21 assists.
Had the Thunder won, they would have gone level with the Timberwolves on record. However, they now fall two games back of the fourth seed.
Adams is faced with another tough matchup when his side meet the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, squaring off against All-Star forward Anthony Davis.
