With their season on the line and the spotlight squarely on their young core, the Oklahoma City Thunder delivered a dominant performance in Sunday’s Game 7, steamrolling the defending champion Denver Nuggets 125-93 to clinch a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting, adding four assists and three steals, while Jalen Williams poured in 24 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. The duo combined for 59 points as OKC outpaced Denver 98-67 over the final three quarters, marking the Thunder’s largest Game 7 win in franchise history and the seventh largest in NBA history.
Trailing 24-14 late in the first quarter, the Thunder found life behind Williams, who exploded for 17 second-quarter points on 8-of-11 shooting. His momentum-shifting run helped turn a five-point deficit into a 14-point halftime lead.
“J-Dub was amazing,” said SGA postgame. “He brought his A-game when we needed it most.”
SGA took over in the second half, starting with a steal and dunk, then quickly adding five more points to balloon the lead to 23. Denver never threatened again.
Nikola Jokić finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, but it wasn’t enough to slow OKC’s wave of energy.
“He’s a special player,” Jokić said of SGA. “He’s just always there.”
The Thunder now prepare to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the West Finals on Tuesday night.