@thewreck you can lose like that all the same because you were late to scout t2 or t3 air, or a t4 rush while you're ecoing up more.
the only difference is that it's actually easier to scout nukes because u have t3 spy planes and omni at that point in the game.
t2 air is way harder to scout and react to than a nuke. I even frequently scout a nuke after its done and i still get an smd up in time
i actually have a mod that gives nukes a super obvious icon and it helps a lot, you should get one too if you haven't already