By PAT GRAHAM and ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Sports Writers
DENVER (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points, but he didn’t get enough help from his teammates to clinch Oklahoma City’s first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 2016 as the Nuggets ensured Game 7 by a score of 119-107.
A sick Jamal Murray may have been questionable for Game 6, but in his mind there was nothing ambiguous about his playing status.
“Absolutely not,” Murray said when asked if there was any chance he’d have sat out the game.
Gilgeous-Alexander also had no doubt that Murray would be in the game.
“Yeah, I knew he was going to play, obviously in a do-or-die situation for them,” SGA said. “And they came out with a sense of urgency and jumped on us right away.”
Murray scored 25 points and powered the Denver Nuggets past the Thunder 119-107 Thursday night, sending the series back to Oklahoma City for a decisive Game 7.
Just like that, the Nuggets are going back to OKC. It was their sole mission after frittering away a fourth-quarter lead and losing there in Game 5.
After being sick for 24 hours, Murray ignited the Nuggets with a four-point play to start things off and sank a step-back 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter that pushed Denver’s lead into double digits.
Nikola Jokic led Denver with 29 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, and Christian Braun scored a career playoff-best 23 points. However, it was second-year reserve guard Julian Strawther who ignited the Nuggets’ runaway, scoring a career playoff-high 15 points, all in the second half.
Strawther certainly left it all on the floor, including a tooth (a prosthetic one) that happened to pop out in the fourth quarter when he took contact from an Oklahoma City player. He tried to get the officials to stop play long enough to gather it up, but the action was already heading the other way.
A ball boy scooped it up for him in a towel and returned it to the bench. By the time Strawther addressed the media following the game, he had it back in place.
He explained that after he lost a baby tooth as a kid, the adult version — located on the right side next to his front tooth — never grew in.
“We got it back,” Strawther said.
Strawther had a pair of 3s and a layup during the decisive 10-0 third-quarter spurt and he kept making big plays at both ends in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets finally had a laugher in this exhaustive, physical series.
Strawther finished 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the line. Above all, he helped the Nuggets maintain their momentum in the fourth quarter as Jokic sat on the bench to get some valuable rest. Strawther played 19 1/2 minutes, his playoff high.
This after being limited to 14 minutes combined over the last three games, including a “DNP” — did not play — in Game 3. Interim coach David Adelman told him to stay ready.
The Nuggets bench made a big impact behind the play of Strawther, Russell Westbrook (eight points,) and Peyton Watson (four.)
Sure, the reserves of the Thunder out scored them 32-27. Before Thursday, though, the average production of the bench was 34-22 through five games in favor of the Thunder.
All-Star Jalen Williams scored six points for the Thunder on 3-of-16 shooting.
The Nuggets, who won the title two years ago, finally get two days off after a grueling past few weeks. They have played every other day since April 29th.
The Thunder have only lost back-to-back games twice this season, once in November and once in early April. However, this will be the current iteration’s first win-or-go-home game.
“First of all, credit Denver — they threw a punch tonight as 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.”
