Game 7 is officially set for Sunday this weekend in the competitive second-round series between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder. Following a crucial victory at home on Thursday, 2x MVP Nikola Jokic gave his honest thoughts on the series so far and shared the keys to a Nuggets win in the series-clinching contest.
"Probably defense, I think probably defense and details," said Jokic in the post-game press conference. "Rebounding for us, especially because of how much they're attacking the glass. Turnovers for us. Depends on how the game opens up, if we slow down, or if they start running. I think it depends on how the game opens up, because they want to push the pace and drive, they want to find open looks. We want a little slower game, and we get open looks differently. So I think it's interesting to watch, and I think the details like boxing out, rebounding, and turnovers will probably decide the winner."
The two teams have a lot more in common than they might seem. Besides their superstars being the top MVP candidates this year, they are both juggernauts in the West with two of the strongest, well-rounded rosters in the league. With the team being so evenly matched, it's impossible to say who will come out on top in the series, but everything will come down to Sunday's critical Game 7 at the Paycom Center.
Jokic led Denver to a championship in 2023, so he has more experience than most at winning in the NBA playoffs. He knows what it takes to win, and he fully believes the Nuggets can get it done as presently constructed. In this series, however, the Nuggets are facing one of their toughest fights yet against the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Thunder won 68 games in the regular season with an average point differential of +12.9. With Jalen Williams, Chet Jolmgren, and Lu Dort, the Thunder maintained an elite defense as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way on the other end with averages of 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 51.9% shooting.
After barely scraping by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, the Nuggets came in as underdogs to win the Semifinals, and things looked particularly bleak after losing Game 2 by 43 points. In typical Nuggets fashion, however, they found a way to respond to tie the series and force a Game 7 back in Oklahoma City.
If the Nuggets want to secure the win on the road and a trip to the Western Conference Finals, they'll need to clean up some of their mistakes, starting on the defensive end. The Thunder are averaging 114 points per game in the series, and SGA has been going off with an average of 30.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in six games of the series so far.
In Game 7, look for Denver to control the pace right away so they can dictate the flow of the game and keep the Thunder in check. If they can also take care of the basketball and avoid excessive fouling on the shooters, it'll be a recipe for success on Sunday and for the rest of the postseason.
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