Nikola Jokić piles up 29 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists against the Thunder in Game 6.
DENVER — For six games the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder have provided everything anyone wanted in a Western Conference semifinal. And now, a bonus — a Game 7.
This was secured with yet another tense and drama-dripping contest, when the Nuggets extended the series with a 119-107 victory Thursday. Now comes dessert after the main dish.
What the Nuggets showed at Ball Arena was the grit of a former champion and a stubborn desire to stay alive. They also showed a way to actually keep a fourth-quarter lead, which bedeviled them the last few contests.
They had too much Nikola Jokić, a gut-check performance by Jamal Murray and a surprise player down the stretch. As for the Thunder? OKC could never snatch complete control of this game, never raised the possibility of closing out a team that seemed more desperate.
And so, it’s on. Sunday’s Game 7 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) will feature a pair of Kia NBA MVP finalists and, very likely, yet another can’t-miss 48 minutes if the current pattern holds true.
Here are five takeaways from a season-saving effort by the Nuggets:
1. Murray’s sick performance
When he awakened Thursday morning, Murray had an uneasy feeling — not about the game, but his availability for it. Murray sent an SOS to the Nuggets and suddenly, just hours before the start of Game 6, he was listed on the injury report as questionable with illness. He took meds, had an IV.
This was an elimination game for Denver and Murray, as his history shows, is up to the task. Previously in these situations he averaged 28 points, five rebounds and five assists. This time: 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Even better, he navigated through 42 minutes, highest on the team and two nights removed from playing the entire fourth quarter, and didn’t collapse.
Did he ever think he wouldn’t play?
“No.”
Why so confident about that?
“Team needs you.”
Murray was his usual self, bouncing off screens and defenders, finding a rhythm, giving Jokić some help and ultimately forcing a Game 7. This proves Murray is one of the league’s better postseason gamers and while he lacks an All-Star appearance, he always saves his best for when it counts.
Listed as questionable, Jamal Murray powers through illness to help Denver stay alive.
2. No fourth-quarter flop by the Nuggets
In the previous two games, the Nuggets took leads of six and eight points into the fourth quarter and couldn’t cash in. Salute the Thunder for that, but at the same time, Denver doomed itself with poor shooting and mistakes.
So when their lead going into Thursday’s fourth was eight points, nobody took it for granted. Interim coach David Adelman also knew he had to ration minutes for Jokić (who played the entire second half last game) as well as (and perhaps especially) for Murray.
“Last game I kicked myself by not taking one of them out,” Adelman said. “This game I had four timeouts and that lets you control your substitutions.”
He was able to stretch those timeouts to give both a few minutes to relax, and the Nuggets didn’t suffer while they were off the floor. There were a few sloppy possessions, but OKC never crept closer than eight over the last nine minutes. And some of this was due to …
3. Strawther steps up
In the first five games of this series, Julian Strawther played a total of 30 minutes — 14 in mop-up duty during a blowout in Game 2, and not at all in Game 3. Essentially, he was a bench ornament as the Nuggets leaned heavily on starters.
Well, with players wearing down and the series stretching longer, Adelman had little choice but to find someone — anyone — from his bench who could contribute. Strawther didn’t disappoint.
Given the situation, this was perhaps the best game of the second-year swingman’s career: 15 points, all in the second half, which allowed the Nuggets to ease the burden on Jokić. His 3-pointers were especially game-saving as he shot 3-for-4 from deep.
“We fed off his energy,” Murray said. “Super proud of him.”
Strawther commanded nearly 20 minutes of playing time, almost matching his combined total of the previous five games while falling just two points short of his entire postseason total.
“I understood the assignment,” he said. “I gotta do it again Sunday.”
For once, the Nuggets didn’t cave because of their bench. And Strawther is right — Denver needs an encore.
Nuggets reserve Julian Strawther talks about taking advantage of his opportunity in Game 6 vs. Oklahoma City.
4. Jalen Williams’ inconsistency continues
His roller-coaster ride in this series is somewhat of a mystery given that Williams had a breakout season that resulted in his first All-Star appearance. And yet, he hasn’t been that player every night. More like every other night — if that.
When OKC needed a co-star for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 points), Williams went missing. His night was somewhat summarized when he made a strip and had a breakaway layup in the fourth quarter — only to blow the layup even with the defense trailing him.
All told, Williams shot just 3-for-16, scoring only six points. He did work in other areas as his defense was sound (three steals) and he logged 10 assists. Still, he’s shooting just 33% overall in the series, 21% on 3-pointers. He’s also had just one true impact game (32 points in the overtime Game 3 loss).
Here are some of his shooting games: 5-for-20, 5-for-14, 2-for-13, 3-for-16.
“I just hurt us tonight not making shots,” Williams said. “I got to spots I wanted to get to, they didn’t go in. That’s how basketball works.”
5. Will Gordon be a go for Game 7?
Aaron Gordon had a tough night. He never established a flow, finishing with just five points and seven rebounds while sending nervous moments through the crowd when he was stripped in the open court by Alex Caruso in the closing minutes.
The Nuggets didn’t lose the game on that play, but did they lose Gordon? He immediately reached for his left hamstring. Fortunately, it came with 1:40 left in the fourth. Given that he didn’t play much longer on it, it was difficult to gauge how serious it was.
But when a player reaches like that, it’s never a good thing, especially this deep in the season. (Just ask the Warriors’ Stephen Curry.)
“I feel OK,” Gordon said. “We’ll see. I’m going to start the recovery process now and make sure I’m getting ready for Game 7.”
The Nuggets better hope Murray’s healing powers rub off on his teammate. Gordon is such an important player, especially in these playoffs, where he has two game-winners and a third shot that forced overtime.
Here’s some good news for him and Denver — the Nuggets will have two days of rest between games for the first time since April 27-28, during their opening series with the LA Clippers. Since then, they’ve played every other night, with travel thrown in.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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