The Denver Nuggets are at home on Thursday night as they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of their second-round series.
Denver enters Thursday’s game in a win-or-go-home scenario after they blew a lead in the fourth quarter of Game 5, allowing Oklahoma City to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the series.
Despite this, the Nuggets now have a chance to force Game 7 on their home court as they try to keep their championship hopes alive.
Nikola Jokic during Game 3.
Nikola Jokic after Game 3 vs. the Thunder.
© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Of course, Denver hopes that they will be able to have another incredible performance from their star center Nikola Jokic on Thursday night after he recorded a historic stat line in Game 5 with 44 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.
While the Nuggets will rely on Jokic to have another incredible game, they will also need the rest of their supporting cast to step up, which they were unable to do in the fourth quarter of Game 5 on Tuesday.
Aaron Gordon
May 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (32) celebrates with guard Jamal Murray (27) after scoring the winning basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Nuggets also received some unfortunate news ahead of Thursday's game as they may be without one of their star players.
Denver has listed Jamal Murray as questionable for Thursday's game due to an illness.
This is a massive blow for the Nuggets as Murray has played a key role for them this season but he may be sidelined for Thursday's must-win game.
If Murray is sidelined, expect Russell Westbrook to replace him in the starting lineup.
Denver has also ruled out rookie center DaRon Holmes II due to a torn Achilles and Hunter Tyson is out due to a sprained ankle.
On the other side, the Thunder enter Thursday’s game with a clean injury report as the only player listed on it is rookie guard Nikola Topic, who has missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL.
With both teams’ cores fully healthy, Thursday’s game should be a good one as the Nuggets try to avoid elimination while the Thunder try to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Fans can catch Thursday’s Game 6 matchup between the Thunder and Nuggets at 8:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.