Oklahoma City Thunder demolish Denver Nuggets in Game 7; Advance to Western Conference Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 with a 125-93 win behind a well-rounded offensive and defensive team effort. 

The Thunder finished with the best record in the NBA this season at 68-14 and the Nuggets were the 2023 NBA champions with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray leading the way, and this talent within both teams stretched their series to seven games. 

It started with Denver taking the 2-1 series lead, but the Thunder went on a two-game winning streak to take the one-game lead. However, Denver bounced back again to even up the series for the third time, losing the final game.

In the final and seventh game, the Thunder started out quiet offensively, scoring just 21 points in the first quarter, their lowest-scoring frame in the game. It did not help that the team struggled from the three-point line, shooting just 1-for-8. 

Meanwhile, the Nuggets found success behind Christian Braun, who scored nine points in the first, getting in the paint and knocking down a three-pointer.  

And when Jokic had the ball in or around the paint attempting to score, the Thunder fouled him, giving him six free throws for five points, and allowing the Nuggets to take a 26-21 lead entering the second, although as a team, they too struggled on three-pointers, shooting 2-for-6 in the frame.

But in the second quarter – and the rest of the game – the Thunder took over. 

The Thunder excelled at getting stops, whether by stealing the ball – which they did 16 times – contesting shots or forcing turnovers. In total, they forced the Nuggets into 23 total turnovers. 

This defense also turned into offense, as the Thunder scored 37 points off the 23 turnovers, and they also scored 27 fast-break points, getting good looks at the rim. In the entire 48 minutes, they scored 64 points in the paint. 

Jalen Williams (who finished with 24 points) also stepped up in the second quarter to help propel the Thunder to take the lead – which they never gave back. 

Williams scored 17 of his 24 points in the frame, attacking the basket off the dribble and getting fed in the paint by his teammates. 

These assists were also key for the Thunder, who assisted on 28 of their 47 made baskets, helping get them great looks at the rim. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was also dominant, scoring a game-high 35 points, shooting 12-for-19 and 3-for-4 on threes. He shot 5-for-5 in the fourth, making shots off the dribble, extending the team’s 25-point lead they had at the start of the frame.  

The Nuggets, already struggling with turnovers, were unable to find another source to spark them offensively during the game. Jokic underperformed, only scoring 20 points – nine of which came from free throws. In the 13 playoff games before this one, he was averaging 26.7 points per game. 

Murray also struggled, shooting 6-for-16 and 1-for-8 on three-pointers for 13 points. Aaron Gordon, who was dealing with a hamstring strain, had a tough night as well, only taking four shots.

Braun, who scored nine in the first quarter, only scored 10 more in the remaining three, being the only other Nugget to score in double figures. 

The Thunder, however, had five guys in double figures (Chet Holmgren, Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Alex Caruso). 

The Nuggets also shot just 10-for-44 from three, and were unable to stop the Thunder’s offensive success as well, as the Thunder finished the game with only ten turnovers.