The Denver Nuggets withstood elimination on Thursday, May 15 by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-107 at the Ball Arena in Colorado, tying the Western semifinal series (3-3) and forcing a decisive Game 7 to be played this Sunday, May 18 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Serbian Nikola Jokic, reigning MVP of the regular season, was once again key with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists, reaffirming his status as a leader in defining games. He was accompanied by Jamal Murray, who contributed 25 points and 7 assists, and Christian Braun, with an outstanding double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The location will define
Buzzy
Oklahoma City Thunder, the best team in the West during the regular season, missed the opportunity to close the series against Denver and will now depend on the support of its fans.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 32 points, was hampered by four fouls in the first half.
This reduced his defensive and offensive impact when he was needed most.
Chet Holmgren added a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, but the Thunder offense could not respond to the Nuggets’ increasing pace in the second half.
Julian Strawther, coming off the bench, was another key factor for Denver as he scored 15 points, including 10 in the final minutes of the third quarter.
Duel of streaks and emotions
The game was full of ups and downs: Denver took a +10 lead in the first quarter, but Thunder came back with +12 in the second.
However, the loss of ‘SGA’ due to fouls allowed the Nuggets to come back before halftime with a 12-0 run.
An agonizing three-pointer by Luguentz Dort kept the Thunder up before halftime.
El serbio Nikola Jokic volvió a ser clave con 29 puntos
Quéonnda.com
In the third quarter, the Nuggets pressed the accelerator with a 10-0 run led by Murray and Strawther, which increased the difference to 10 points (90-80).
Already in the final quarter, Denver extended the lead to 16 points (109-93), controlling the close despite a late comeback attempt by the Thunder.
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