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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.' Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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@ or on X/Twitter at @joelxlorenzi. Support Joel's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at Advertisement 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
Winnipeg Free Press
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Surge overpower Sea Bears
It reached a point where players of the Calgary Surge were more concerned about how many points they had individually rather than the lead they were building. A stats check during a 34-14 run in the third quarter should've been the last thing on players' minds, yet there they were on Friday evening. It was that kind of night for the Winnipeg Sea Bears. BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS Sea Bears forward Jaylin Williams (centre) shoots over Surge guard Jameer Nelson Jr. (right) Friday night at Canada Life Centre. While the hosts never showed any signs of waving the white flag, a 98-86 loss to the Surge before 7,475 at Canada Life Centre left the Sea Bears with questions about their extended lapses for the second game in a row. 'We knew coming in that it would be a test of us athletically. Calgary is a really athletic team. And give them credit, we played their game today,' said head coach Mike Taylor. Jameer Nelson Jr. hit the game-winning free throw to improve the Surge to 2-1 on the young season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. Winnipeg dropped to 1-1. 'It was a transition game. It was fast-paced. They drove strong at us (in) one-on-one situations. I think for our guys, we started the game a little bit slow. Like we said to them early in the game, they punched us in the mouth early, and how do we respond to that?' Taylor added. 'It took us a while to get going, the physicality and pressure defence that they played, we did not get the same quality of shots that we did, say, in the first game, and that kind of sputtered our offence a bit at times.' The Sea Bears had their moments but got in their own way more times than not. A few numbers that will jump out: outscored 22-3 in fast-break points and 58-38 in points in the paint. Jaylin Williams paced Winnipeg's offence with 21 points in 29 minutes. Meanwhile, Terry Roberts supplied a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Tevian Jones supplied 16 points. 'Nothing really surprised me much,' Williams said. 'We've been preparing for — they like to drive, they're a driving team, which we struggled with tonight and helping each other out and being there for each other. That's something that we got to improve on.' Surge guard Sean Miller-Moore led the charge for the visitors with 29 points in 38:05 of play time, both game-highs. Fellow guard Nelson Jr. chipped in with 25 points, seven rebounds and three steals. 'In the first quarter they came out very aggressive. They played very physical,' said Emmanuel Akot, who finished with 10 points and three rebounds. 'We went down, fought back, but when you create a deficit like that, it's always hard to win games, so I think we just need to start out quarters better, especially in the first and third.' The Surge held leads of 27-14, 48-47 and 81-61 at the end of each of the first three quarters. For the second game in a row, Williams scored the first basket, and the Sea Bears jumped out to an early lead. Unlike their previous contest, this one didn't last long. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Sea Bears forward Solomon Young (left) and guard Geoffrey James (right) battle for the ball with Surge forward Greg Brown III (on floor) Friday night at Canada Life Centre. The Surge offence began to cut through the Sea Bears' defence like a hot knife through butter, racking up 24 points in the paint to the host's eight and scoring 12 fast-break points to Winnipeg's zero in the opening frame. While Calgary opened the game with a 23-11 run, Winnipeg went through a dry spell on offence that lasted more than four minutes. It finally ended with a three-pointer from Solomon Young. The Sea Bears came alive in the second quarter with a unit led by Roberts and Akot. A pair of sweet buckets from Roberts and a make from long range from Akot sparked a 22-12 run for Winnipeg to open the second quarter. Things began to unravel for the hosts in the third quarter as Calgary opened the game up on a 14-0 run, which proved to be enough as Winnipeg's shots struggled to fall. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Calgary entered Target Score Time with an 89-74 advantage. 'Definitely lapses,' said Akot. 'Definitely got to work on that. Last game, giving up a big lead, and this game, giving them a big lead. We're still a new team. We've only been together for a short period of time, so we learn from this as the season continues to go on. We just keep getting better. Yeah, a learning experience.' Winnipeg was still without standout centre Simi Shittu, who remains with Promitheas Patras of the Greek Basketball League. The Sea Bears and Surge will complete the second of a home-and-home in Calgary on Sunday (3 p.m. CT). Joshua Frey-SamReporter Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh. Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
He can handle anything the Oklahoma City Thunder throw at him. He's sideline reporter Nick Gallo
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, puts towels on teammate forward Jalen Williams, right, and reporter Nick Gallo following Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) Reporter Nick Gallo, center, interviews Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) as forward Jaylin Williams, left, and teammates put towels on them following Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) Reporter Nick Gallo, center, interviews Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) as forward Jaylin Williams, left, and teammates put towels on them following Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jaylin Williams, left, puts towels on teammate forward Jalen Williams, right, and reporter Nick Gallo following Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) Reporter Nick Gallo, center, interviews Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) as forward Jaylin Williams, left, and teammates put towels on them following Game 1 of an NBA basketball Western Conference Finals playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings) There is someone who the Oklahoma City Thunder simply cannot stop. They simultaneously send multiple players — sometimes about half the roster, it seems — to try to derail him. They surround him. They talk over him. They put hats on him. They put jackets on him. They cover him with towels. Nothing works. He is Nick Gallo. Advertisement He is the Thunder sideline reporter. And after Thunder victories, Gallo's on-court interviews with the player of the game have become must-see TV, simply because nobody knows what the team will do in an effort to playfully torture him next. 'I feel like I owe it to them to deliver the best of myself so they can have their moment," Gallo said. 'That's really kind of the place that I try to operate from. And I guess I've just gotten the reps now at stuff coming at me.' Let's be very clear here: The Thunder mean no harm. It's clear they adore Gallo, look at him as part of the team, and love that they can't get him to break. They've come out with T-shirts bearing his name and likeness. They've made him bark like a dog before they'll let him sign off. They come up behind him when he's talking and dust off his shoulders. They stacked so many towels on his head, neck and shoulders during one interview that NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally had to intervene. Advertisement 'Y'all gotta chill,' Gilgeous-Alexander said to his teammates, on air, mid-interview. 'I'm sorry, Nick.' There's no need to apologize. Gallo doesn't mind any of this. Just about every televised game — in just about every sport — has the 'walk-off' interview, where a sideline reporter will talk to a star player or the player of the game for a couple of minutes to get their instant, on-air feedback. (Networks almost always work with the team to request a certain player, and the team then gets them to the reporter quickly after the game.) When Chet Holmgren got to the Thunder, he didn't mind doing the walk-off interview when requested but insisted on having another teammate with him. And now, it's become just part of the Thunder DNA. When a guy talks, his teammates will be right there to support him and be part of the show. Advertisement Gallo didn't set out to be a viral sensation. It just sort of happened. 'A lot of times in media, we talk about reporters trying to gain the trust of the players and often that feels like a one-way transaction," Gallo said. "But I really trust them to an incredible degree, and I hope that shows through. These guys are extremely trustworthy. And the fact that they've gone out of their way to include me in this is an incredible honor. I don't take that for granted at all.' ___ AP NBA:
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who is Jaylin Williams? Get to know OKC Thunder forward from Arkansas
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability subject to change. Jaylin Williams is in his third season with the Oklahoma City Thunder after he was selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Arkansas. Here is what else you need to know about the Thunder big man: Advertisement More: Thunder vs Nuggets score, live updates: How to watch Game 2 of NBA playoff series Where is Jaylin Williams from? Jaylin Williams was born June 29, 2002, growing up about 180 miles east of Oklahoma City in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He was high school teammates with fellow Thunder player Isaiah Joe and they later played together at Arkansas. More: OKC Thunder faces NBA playoff dilemma: How to best defend Nuggets star Nikola Jokic Get to know Jaylin Williams' parents, Vietnamese heritage Jaylin Williams's parents are Michael and Linda Williams. Jaylin has three brothers and one sister. Williams' Vietnamese heritage comes from his mom's side. Linda Williams was born in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, before moving to the United States with her mom, Nga, in 1975 after the Vietnam War. Advertisement The Thunder big man is the first player of Vietnamese descent ever to play in the NBA. 'It never dawned on us he would be,' Linda Williams told The Oklahoman in 2023. 'It's so special to our family, to Jaylin … I'm still in awe of my son and what he's capable of doing.' More: Did OKC Thunder's lack of clutch-time experience lead to Game 1 collapse vs. Nuggets? Is Jaylin Williams related to Jalen Williams? Jalen Williams, left, and Jaylin Willams ham it up for the cameras. Thunder media day ay the Paycom Center Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. No. Stop asking. Blame the Thunder for the confusion, if you must, for drafting both players in the 2022 NBA Draft. That was a spectacular draft for Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who was named NBA Executive of the Year on Tuesday. OKC drafted Chet Holmgren second overall, Ousmane Dieng 11th, Jalen Williams 12th and Jaylin Williams 34th. Advertisement More: When will 2024-25 NBA awards be announced? Schedule set for most winners Jaylin Williams making impact in Game 2 of Thunder-Nuggets playoff series Thunder outscored Denver 10-2 in a 3-min span with Jaylin Williams on the floor Wednesday night in the first half. That lineup with him, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren had a 40 defensive rating. And saw him push back on Russell Westbrook and match his intensity, which hadn't really happened to this point. Follow along from Game 2 live HERE. More: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti named NBA Basketball Executive of the Year for first time Jaylin Williams' stats with OKC Thunder in 2024-25 season Points per game: 5.9 Rebounds per game: 5.6 Assists per game: 2.6 Games played: 47 (nine starts) Minutes per game: 16.7 This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who is Jaylin Williams? Get to know OKC Thunder forward from Arkansas
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jaylin Williams continues to play role in Thunder's playoff series against Nuggets
Jaylin Williams continues to play role in Thunder's playoff series against Nuggets As Jaylin Williams played some of the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest minutes, you couldn't help but laugh at the conversations around him in the early parts of the regular season. Designated as Nikola Jokic's physical defender, Williams has carved out a rotation role against the Denver Nuggets. You need an army to stop the three-time MVP winner. The Thunder have that in their center room with Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Sometimes, NBA playoff series bring the best out of role players. It's all matchup-dependent. Against the Nuggets, Williams has been a perfect backup center who ensures the Thunder will have at least one center on the floor at all times while their three-headed monster alternates. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault has flexed his depth all season. The unorthodox mind has zagged while everybody else zigs with playoff rotations. Instead of shaving down, he stays with his group. Williams finished with two points, two rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes off the bench in Game 5. He played over three minutes of some of the highest-leverage minutes of the Thunder's season in the fourth quarter. The move paid off as OKC collected a 112-105 win. "He was huge. He's been huge this series. Hart in the first quarter, I let his stint linger too long. Trying to keep these guys fresh. Especially the guys handling the major matchups. That was on me," Daigneault said about Williams. "Getting to him earlier in both the third and fourth and keeping everybody fresh for Jokic was a high point of emphasis. He's stepped up. Jaylin is an unbelievable competitor." Look, there's no stopping Jokic. Take his Game 5 for example. He finished with 44 points and 15 rebounds. But Williams has annoyed him enough to warrant the rotation minutes in this playoff series. Those won't always be available but against Denver, he's turned into a vital piece.
