An intense West semi-final now heads to decisive Game 7 in Oklahoma City on Sunday
AFP
2 MIN READ
Isaiah Hartenstein of the Oklahoma City Thunder plays defense on Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets during Round 2 Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2025 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Isaiah Hartenstein of the Oklahoma City Thunder plays defense on Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets during Round 2 Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on May 15, 2025 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Los Angeles: Ain't over yet as the Nuggets refuses to go down without a fight, forcing a 'Game Seven', the sweetest two words in the world of basketball.
Nikola Jokic dropped 29 points and unheralded bench player Julian Strawther produced a crucial late burst of scoring as the Denver Nuggets scored a series-leveling 119-107 victory over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
A hardfought NBA Western Conference semi-final series will now go to a decisive game seven in Oklahoma City on Sunday after another ferocious duel between the two sides.
Serbian star Jokic was once again the anchor of a composed Denver performance, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to shepherd the Nuggets to victory.
Jamal Murray added 25 points while Christian Braun finished with 23. But arguably the most significant contribution came from the bench, with Strawther scoring 15 points.
Oklahoma City, leading 3-2 in the series, looked ready to clinch a series victory after surging into a 12-point lead late in the second quarter at Denver's Ball Arena.
But Denver once again refused to roll over and rallied to trim the Thunder lead to 61-58 at the break.
There was little to choose between the teams for most of the third quarter, and with just under two minutes remaining in the frame, the score was level at 80-80.
Yet within moments Denver had suddenly opened a double-digit advantage after a 10-0 run that put the Nuggets into a 90-80 lead.
The scoring spree came from an unlikely source, with the 23-year-old Strawther, in only his second season in the league, suddenly finding his scoring range.
Strawther knocked down back-to-back three-pointers followed by a layup to rattle in eight of the 10 points in the Denver run.
With their noses in front, 2023 NBA champions ruthlessly kept a firm grip on the contest through the fourth quarter, keeping the Thunder safely at arms length to close out the win.
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