Thunder vs Nuggets report card: Give Alex Caruso perfect grade for thwarting Nikola Jokic
The Thunder did its best to remove any drama Game 7s are supposed to be infused with.
After a nervy first quarter, the Thunder dominated the second quarter and never looked back in a 125-93 win over the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon at Paycom Center.
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Up next: A Western Conference finals date with the Timberwolves.
Let's get to the grades.
CARLSON: With road to NBA championship wide open, OKC Thunder passes huge test in bouncing Nuggets
The Thunder guard gave up 6 inches and nearly 100 pounds to Nikola Jokic, but Caruso made the Nugget superstar's life miserable Sunday. He hounded. He poked. He prodded. Caruso wasn't perfect — and the Thunder gave him plenty of help with double teams — but his defense on Jokic was masterful.
Caruso finished the game a plus-40, the highest plus-minus by a reserve in a Game 7 this century, according to StatMuse.
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(Fellow Thunder reserve Cason Wallace had the next-highest plus-minus at plus-38.)
Caruso changed the tenor of so many games this series, but none was more important than Sunday. Along with Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, Caruso helped hold Jokic to as many turnovers (five) as made baskets.
— Jenni Carlson
MUSSATTO: Jalen Williams redeems himself in Game 7 of NBA Playoffs by fueling Thunder past Nuggets
Oklahoma City's Alex Caruso (9) reacts after a basket during the first half of the NBA basketball Game 7 playoff game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Sunday, May, 18, 2025.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A+
It was the Alex-Caruso-denying-Nikola-Jokic Game. The Jalen Williams Redemption Game.
Lost in that, although it shouldn't be, was a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander masterclass.
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He scored 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting. He had four assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block. And not one turnover.
This was MVP Shai.
— Joe Mussatto
5 TAKEAWAYS: OKC Thunder storms past Nuggets in Game 7 to reach Western Conference finals
Cason Wallace dunk over Nikola Jokic: A
Some dunks elicit an immediate reaction.
Like the one Cason Wallace had over Nikola Jokic midway through the third quarter.
Even Mike Breen lost his cool.
The Thunder isn't a team of high flyers. Wallace might be OKC's best in-game dunker.
— Joe Mussatto
More: OKC Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves predictions, odds: Who wins Western Conference finals?
Thunder crowd: A+
'Deafening,' is how Alex Caruso described it.
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The crowd sounded as nervous as the team played in the first quarter, but Caruso made Paycom Center erupt when he trapped Christian Braun in the corner and forced the Nuggets guard into a travel.
It's only going to get louder from here on. Time to bust out the earplugs.
Pockets of the lower bowl stood for the entire second half … including timeouts.
— Joe Mussatto
CARLSON: Why Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' is the OKC Thunder's victory anthem at Paycom Center
Points off turnovers: A
The Thunder had a 37-7 advantage in the points-off-turnovers category, a ridiculously lopsided total. But that starts with Oklahoma City forcing Denver into a whopping 23 turnovers, all but seven of which came on Thunder steals. Then, OKC turned a lot of those into fastbreak opportunities.
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The Thunder held a 27-14 advantage in transition.
The flip side to those lopsided numbers is, of course, that the Thunder only committed 10 turnovers. In a high-stakes, high-pressure Game 7 against a top-shelf opponent, OKC took great care of the ball. All of that made its advantageous nature of scoring off Denver turnovers even more of a positive.
— Jenni Carlson
More: When do Western Conference finals start? Times, TV schedule for Thunder vs Timberwolves
Thunder bench: B+
Mark Daigneault shortened his rotation to eight players Sunday night. The five starters plus Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins off the bench.
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Neither Jaylin Williams nor Isaiah Joe played in meaningful minutes.
Caruso was a two-way monster. Wiggins, who took the third-most shots on the team, wasn't efficient, but he made a big 3-pointer to beat a shot-clock buzzer and had a nice put-back slam on a Chet Holmgren missed 3-pointer.
Wallace was a defensive menace and was a plus-38 in his minutes. Caruso was a team-best plus-40.
— Joe Mussatto
More: Thunder take next step, but Shai-Gilgeous Alexander & Co. have a lot left to prove
Aaron Gordon: B
The Nugget wing was doubtful to play heading into the game after suffering a hamstring injury, but even though there were times he looked a bit gimpy, Gordon was tough as nails.
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He scored eight points on 2-of-4 shooting and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Amazing stuff for a guy who was probably struggling to jump.
When a guy has a bad hamstring and tries to play through it, that's often when you see someone hurting their team more than they're helping. But Gordon didn't hurt the Nuggets. Yes, he had four turnovers, maybe more than you'd like, but Jokic had five and as far as we know, his hamstring was fine.
— Jenni Carlson
More: Run, gun and stun. Thunder's offensive options, suffocating defense too much for Nuggets
Pregame atmosphere: A
A note to any fans who've never gotten into the arena early before a playoff game: You should experience it at least once.
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The pregame atmosphere at Paycom Center is really pretty cool. Lots of fans get in their seats early, which makes for a loud arena, then there's the whole put-on-your-T-shirt thing, which Thunder fans take super seriously. They often do a fan lip sync, then the scene when the players come onto the court is worth catching. It's loud and lively with plenty of special lighting and effects.
Yes, the game itself is the atmosphere that matters most, but tip of the cap to the game-ops folks and to the fans. The scene before tipoff is hyped.
— Jenni Carlson
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder vs Nuggets grades: Alex Caruso thwarts Nikola Jokic for A+
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