DENVER — The Oklahoma City Thunder ran away with the Western Conference’s top seed this season, winning an NBA-best 68 games, including a record 54 by double digits.
The Denver Nuggets didn’t have the Thunder’s youthful legs, deep bench, long rotation or health. They didn’t come close to Oklahoma City’s enviable conference record, home mark or road success. Heck, they didn’t even have a similar continuity after the Nuggets fired their head coach and general manager on the eve of the playoffs.
They did go 2-2 against the Thunder in the regular season, though, and they split a back-to-back series at Oklahoma City.
Now they’ve forced a winner-take-all showdown Sunday afternoon on the same court.
After the Nuggets won 119-107 on Thursday night in Denver, these teams are 5-5 against each other in the 2024-25 season, playoffs included. Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City not only will break the tie, it will send the winner into the Western Conference title series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and leave the loser to lament all the missed opportunities to put away this series.
“It’s do or die,” said Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was a prep standout at Chattanooga’s Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. “It’s what you live for, it’s what you worked your whole life for, it’s either your team continues or your dream ends. So you lay it all out there on the floor, and you live with the results.”
Despite their 12-point loss — their largest of the series — the Thunder walked off the court Thursday with their heads held high.
“First of all, credit Denver. They threw a punch tonight, as this has happened in the series; both teams are exchanging blows,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They got theirs in tonight, and both teams have done a great job of standing back up, including us, and we need to do that on Sunday.
“Other than that, we need to be who we’ve been all season and embrace the opportunity that’s in front of us. We get to play that game at home because of the work we did during the regular season in front of our fans. We’re obviously disappointed in the outcome tonight, but when the ball goes up the air, we’ll be excited to go.”
This is Oklahoma City’s first Game 7 since 2016, when the Thunder were beaten by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference title series. This will be Nuggets’ sixth Game 7 since they drafted star center Nikola Jokic in 2015, including one against the Los Angeles Clippers in the previous round of this year’s postseason.
Jokic, who led Denver with 29 points, 14 rebounds and a series-best eight assists in Game 6, was asked what will be the difference Sunday.
“Probably defense,” said Jokic, who was NBA Finals MVP two years ago when the Nuggets won the league championship for the first time. “I think defense, details, rebounding for us especially because how much they’re attacking the glass. Turnovers for us.”
Jokic added that he’s sure the Thunder, with their youth and health, will certainly try to push the pace against the banged-up, not-as-deep Nuggets, who like to play a more deliberate style.
“So I think it’s interesting to watch,” Jokic said.