Nuggets Force Game 7

The Denver Nuggets forced a Game 7 Thursday night with a 119-107 home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Going into the game, the Thunder had outscored the Nuggets 63-37 in the fourth quarters of the first five games of the series, but were outscored 29-25 in the fourth quarter on Thursday. With the victory, the Nuggets became the first team since 2019 to play seven games series’ in the first two rounds of the playoffs. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 points, 6 assists, 11-for-16, 8-for-11 from the line) and Chet Holmgren (19 points, 11 rebounds, 8-for-14) showed up for the Thunder, but Jalen Williams missed 13 of his 16 shots and scored only 6 points. Lu Dort shot 4-for-9 (2-for-7 from distance) for 10 points. Isaiah Hartenstein put up 8 points and 6 rebounds on 4-for-4 shooting in 25 minutes. Off the Thunder bench, Alex Caruso was a plus, with 10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block on 4-for-9 shooting. He defended Nikola Jokic admirably in the fourth and his defensive hustle and 3-point shooting allowed the Thunder to make things semi-interesting late in the game. 

The Thunder shot 46.7% and made just 11-of-40 from downtown, while just 10-of-16 from the line. They were also handily outrebounded 52-40. 

The Nuggets shot 46.5%, made 12-of-32 triples and made 27-of-32 from the line. Nikola Jokic (29 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 9-for-14, 10-for-12 from the line) led the effort, with Jamal Murray adding 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists on 9-for-19 shooting. Christian Braun was outstanding, going 8-for-14 from the field, 3-for-6 from deep, and 4-for-4 from the stripe for 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Julian Strawther in 20 minutes was 3-for-4 from 3-point range for 15 points. He was instrumental in keeping the Nuggets ahead in the fourth. 

The Thunder led 61-58 at halftime, but were outscored 32-21 in the third quarter. The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise dating back to its Seattle days is 6-5 in Game 7s. In their last, in the 2020 playoffs against the Houston Rockets, they lost 104-102. The Nuggets are 4-2 in Game 7s with Nikola Jokic, having just played a Game 7 in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, which was a dominant 19-point victory. In last year’s Western Conference Semifinals, they lost Game 7 to the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-90. 

On Sunday, they will look to advance and face those Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals. They have the experience and Oklahoma City has the youth and the home court advantage. Sunday should be a fantastic conclusion to the series.