How OKC Thunder gave Denver Nuggets hope in Game 6, 'most dangerous thing' in NBA Playoffs
DENVER — Those sounds: the clamoring from a thirsty Denver crowd, the roars of exhilaration from Jamal Murray's motivated lips. Those looks: the smirk that escaped the otherwise stiff Nikola Jokic during his exit to the tunnel, the loss of color and life from Jalen Williams' expression. Those are the signs of what Alex Caruso was fearful of.
Giving the Nuggets hope.
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'You don't wanna give a team fighting for their life any hope or belief,' Caruso warned hours before Game 6, ahead 3-2 in the Western Conference semifinals then. 'Probably the most dangerous thing you can do.'
Invoke danger the Thunder did. Ball Arena was sent into a frenzy by an equal dose of hope and belief. Hope that a Game 7 was possible. Belief that it could stomp the Thunder, 119-107, to unlock it.
'Yeah, I said 'give them hope,'' Caruso recalled to The Oklahoman Thursday night. 'It's not up to us. They have (a) championship mindset. They were always going to come out and throw punches and haymakers tonight. Jamal Murray flexing to the crowd — you can see the emotion and energy that they were playing with.'
The door of hope was thrust open as soon as the second quarter.
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MUSSATTO: OKC Thunder needs more from Jalen Williams to oust Nuggets from NBA Playoffs in Game 7
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 15: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets greets fans after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-107 in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
Inside the period, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams each picked up their third foul. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth.
In all non-Game 2 performances this series — when he played 30 minutes in a blowout Thunder win — SGA has played at least 38 minutes. He played 35 on Thursday. Contact and time were his greatest enemies, a 32-point, six-assist night on 11-of-16 shooting to show for it.
His fourth whistle was preventable, a swipe at Jokic after losing the ball. A handful of Jaylin Williams and Hartenstein's fouls stemmed from jumping near Jokic — who finished with an efficient 29 points and 14 boards, attempting 12 free throws — while he made his way to the rim in slow motion.
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SGA and Hartenstein opened the half seemingly avoiding drivers underneath the rim like they were attempting to dodge a laser security system.
'We had some dumb fouls that we could've prevented,' Jaylin Williams told The Oklahoman. 'Nothing really changed. We just gotta be smarter with our contact.'
And yet, OKC still found itself in the driver's seat after that: a 12-point lead with two minutes to play in the first half in a game where that kind of deficit felt worth a fortune.
That lead was erased in those two minutes.
With a pair of Christian Braun 3-pointers. With a steady flow of rim attempts from Denver.
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CARLSON: OKC Thunder falls into cauldron of a Game 7 after failing to eliminate Denver Nuggets
Belief seemingly coursed through Murray's bloodstream before Mucinex ever got the chance to. He began Thursday listed as questionable with an illness, something coach David Adelman apparently caught wind of earlier that morning.
Murray finished the night with 27 points, seven assists and eight rebounds. He dazzled with marvelous shotmaking, without a jumper worth sneezing at. Perhaps the sideline was contaminated when he nearly crowd surfed at the end of the third quarter; he flexed and grimaced in their air space after a 10-second sequence saw him score a fastbreak layup and draw a pivotal foul to swing the end of the third.
He wore the emotions of Denver's Game 6 push. But they all floated to the top with the way the Nuggets closed that third quarter.
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If potential elimination games call for an unsung hero, Nuggets guard Julian Strawther was that. Twice in this series, Strawther played less than five minutes. Once he picked up a DNP. But Thursday, he pumped air into Denver's season.
In just over a minute, he scored eight points: two 3s and a funky lob. Arson-worthy for the Denver faithful, migraine-inducing for a Thunder squad aiming to wipe its hands with this round.
The Nuggets' lead went from three. To five. To eight. To 10. All in lung-crushing time.
'When halftime ends, you get 24 minutes to play your best, regardless of what just happened,' Daigneault said. 'We had that opportunity. So did they. They outplayed us in the second half.'
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5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder fails to close out Denver Nuggets, sending series to Game 7
DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 15: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets reacts as Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looks on during the third quarter in Game Six of the Western Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 15, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
Despite Oklahoma City's most recent couple closes, and despite Gilgeous-Alexander's gradual control over his performance in the series, the comeback didn't happen.
OKC entered its past three fourth quarters with at least a six-point deficit. The Thunder shot just 38% in Thursday's second half, missing all but two of its fourth-quarter 3-point attempts.
Jalen Williams, the Thunder's rightful second All-Star, finished 3 of 16 for a series-low six points. It capped off a 10-of-43 stretch in his past three games. He refused to excuse his wrist. He sat hidden behind his Thunder teammates while the final seconds dwindled, his towel wrapped over his head, his stare stuck on his process.
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The Nuggets won and cheered, the Thunder swallowed defeat and filed to the back halls — all while Williams remained glued to the bench. Unsatisfied. Stuck like stone.
'I just hurt us tonight not making shots,' he said postgame.
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder couldn't outplay hope.
Now it's all they have. About as much as they can count on.
The Thunder can scrape together three Game 7s between this core. Its eventful, historically great, record-shattering season depends on appearing as competent Sunday as it had through those 82 games. On shoving the idea that they're too prepubescent for the moment, the bright lights, down the throats of their detractors.
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That's all they can believe in Sunday.
'Just gotta go for it,' Caruso said. 'There's no time to be timid. There's no time to second guess. You've gotta just throw your best punch and go for the win. That's probably gonna be our message.
'Do the things that we've done all year to be a great team and go for it.'
Joel Lorenzi covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joel? He can be reached at jlorenzi@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
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REPORT CARD: Thunder vs Nuggets grades: Julian Strawther, foul trouble spell trouble for OKC in Game 6
Game 7: Thunder vs. Nuggets
TIPOFF: 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Paycom Center (ABC)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder gave Denver Nuggets 'most dangerous thing' in NBA Playoffs
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NBA Finals predictions! Who will be champion: Pacers or Thunder? And who will win Finals MVP?
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With Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers scheduled to tip off Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET., we've gathered Kurt Helin, Raphielle Johnson, and Noah Rubin to break down the important questions and the matchups to watch during the series, as well as their predictions on how the 2025 NBA Finals will play out. Kurt Helin, Noah Rubin: Can they? Potentially. Will they? I'm not banking on it. To be clear, this isn't a knock on Indiana's offense, which has been incredible since Tyrese Haliburton was handed the keys to the offense. They play team basketball, and everyone is a threat. However, this is one of the best defenses in league history. They have multiple guards, multiple forwards and multiple bigs that can guard multiple positions. This is a defense that works and fits together, and there aren't any weak links to pick on. If anyone can figure it out, it will probably be Rick Carlisle and Haliburton, but I don't think it's going to be enough to win this series. Raphielle Johnson: The Pacers can potentially break through against the Thunder defense, but this will be a challenge unlike any they've faced this postseason. In addition to their depth, the Thunder, for the most part, have looked extremely connected on that end of the floor. Luguentz Dort's physicality will be a challenge for Tyrese Haliburton, and then Oklahoma City can call on Cason Wallace whenever he needs a break. What I'm also looking forward to is how the Thunder use Alex Caruso. In the conference finals, they were able to go small for long stretches due to his ability to handle a variety of assignments. Kurt Helin: No. Or, at least not enough to win the series. The Pacers have a fantastic offense and Tyrese Haliburton deserves all the flowers coming his way in recent days, plus Indy has generally handled pressure defenses well (Game 5 vs. New York excluded). It's just different with the quality of defenders the Thunder bring. Here's the bigger issue: OKC may be the best switching defense in the league. The Pacers like to force a switch with a high pick early in the offense to get Haliburton matched up on the guy he wants to attack (sorry Brunson), and to get defenses in rotation when he does get downhill. The Thunder, however, can and will switch just about anything 1-5 and don't have a weak defender on the floor, plus their rotations are sharper than anyone else's. Rubin: Jalen Williams vs. Aaron Nesmith. During the regular season, Andrew Nembhard took the SGA matchup on defense, and Nesmith guarded Williams, who had an excellent series against Minnesota. Williams wasn't as effective against Denver, and the Nuggets were nearly able to win the series. The one game OKC dropped against the Timberwolves was Williams' worst performance of the series. Slowing down SGA is a tall task, but if Nesmith is able to take Williams out of the equation, the Pacers will have a better chance at winning this series. Johnson: Myles Turner vs. Chet Holmgren. The Pacers won't win this series without Turner consistently being one of the best players on the floor. He was not in the two regular-season meetings between these teams, and Holmgren did not play in either matchup due to his fractured hip. Turner brings a little more power to the table than the slender Holmgren, but he doesn't always bring that physicality. He didn't have the best conference finals, but the Pacers were good enough in other areas to compensate. They can't afford for Turner to be anything but elite if they're to win the title. Helin: Luguentz Dort vs. Tyrese Haliburton. What we saw in Game 5 vs. New York is something we saw too much of from Haliburton early in the season, when Indiana got off to a slow start: Put a physical, athletic, ball-denying defender on Haliburton and he was too willing to go into a shell and let his teammates essentially play 4-on-4. That didn't work, Haliburton stepped up his aggressiveness in those settings and the Pacers did a better job of off-ball picks and more to get Haliburton the rock. The Pacers' balanced offense doesn't work if Haliburton isn't conducting the orchestra. Nobody frustrates a point guard, and nobody in the league gets over picks as well as Dort, and if he is making Haliburton's life miserable, then Indiana's going to have a miserable, short, series. Rubin: Pascal Siakam. Three-time All-Star. Two All-NBA appearances. The 2018-19 Most Improved Player. Now, Siakam could add a second ring to his collection, and after winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award, there is certainly a chance he wins Finals MVP, if they win the series. Basketball Reference currently has Siakam at a 2.1 percent chance of making the Hall of Fame, but will he have more of a case with another ring? I don't think he would if he retired this summer, but his resume would certainly be strengthened. Johnson: Sam Presti. He's already regarded by many as the best lead executive in the NBA today, given what he's done to build the Thunder into a juggernaut that is set up to last. There's just one thing missing from his time in Oklahoma City, and that's a championship. While the 'legacy' conversation focuses on the players, and rightfully so, the respective rotations are pretty young. That doesn't guarantee them more shots at a championship, but I don't think any player will have to deal with the 'legacy' chatter that a LeBron James, for example, did after he moved to Miami. So, I'll go with Presti as my answer. Helin: Rick Carlisle. This run to the Finals may have done it anyway. Within league circles he was always considered one of the best Xs and Os guys out there — going all the way back to his time on Chuck Daly's Nets' staff — but there was a sense among more casual fans that he was a coach who lucked into an NBA Finals win because of Dirk Nowitzki (the way that Frank Vogel's title is viewed by many now, and some might even through Doc Rivers in that mix). It was never true, and Carlisle leading this team to the Finals in a very different style than his previous one shows his versatility and evolution as a coach. Rubin: Thunder in five, with SGA taking the honors. If I was getting overly specific with my prediction, it would be that the Thunder win one game in a blowout, but the rest of the games in this series will be tight. I just don't think the miraculous run from Indiana will result in a championship. SGA will be the best player on the floor, and the Thunder are deeper, which is saying a lot since the Pacers are also a deep team. Indiana may have a slight coaching advantage, but this is a matchup of two elite coaches. I think this will be a close, exciting series, but I just don't think the Pacers will end up winning more than one game. Johnson: I like the Thunder in six games, and Gilgeous-Alexander wins MVP. These have been the two best teams in the NBA since January 1, with Oklahoma City being the best throughout the season. They can match Indiana's strengths, and I have my questions about how effective they'll be defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. Indiana will put up a great fight and win a few games, but Oklahoma City has been the best team in the NBA all season long, and I expect them to get the title to back up that claim. Helin: Thunder in five, and if there is one lock coming into these NBA Finals it would be SGA to win MVP. Indiana has a team built for the modern game and tax apron world, a fun style of play with Haliburton out in front but quality players perfect for their roles such as Siakam, Turner and Nembhard. The Pacers' problem is that they want to play a fast, chaotic game, and Oklahoma City does that better. Haliburton is brilliant but Gilgeous-Alexander is better. Turner is having a great playoff run (well-timed for a guy getting a new contract) but Chet Holmgren is better. Indiana's defense is improved, the Thunder's is suffocating. You get the idea. OKC is just a better version of what Indiana has become.
