The Oklahoma City Thunder dominates the game 7 playoff decider with the Denver Nuggets and sets up a Western Conference Finals clash with the Minnesota Timber Wolves.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to win the Oklahoma City Thunder 125-93 in Game 7 of the Western Conference’s second round NBA Playoff Series.
The Thunder made its first appearance in the Western Conference Finals since 2016. On Tuesday, he held the final of his meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves at his home.
After scoring just six points in Thursday’s loss, Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams bouncing off in a big way, pouring 24 points in 17 shootings in Game 7 on Sunday. Gilgeous-Alexander was 12 out of 19 from the floor with three steals and turnovers.
“He (Williams) was amazing,” Gilgaus Alexander said. “He wouldn’t have played the way he played today last year. I know 100% of the time, and it’s a really proud moment to see him take that step.”
Early on, it appeared that the Nuggets were taking over momentum from their Game 6 victory. They led in double digits with the remaining minute in the first quarter, before the Thunder tore a 13-0 run that spanned the first quarter and second quarter.
The Thunder took the lead with a three-pointer from Lugenzdort with 7 minutes and 20 seconds left in the first half. They closed the first half with an 18-5 run. This included a back-to-back nugget turnover that led to Williams’ bucket on the other side, helping the Thunder build a 60-46 lead at halftime.
The Thunder then placed the game on the ice in the 37-point third quarter, with 10 of whom came out of five turnovers for the Nuggets. The Thunder scored up to 43 points in the fourth quarter.
The Nuggets were three out of 14 beyond the third quarter arc, and only finished 10 out of 45 on 3-pointers.
“We wanted to get off to the start, so we put it on the side very quickly (it was tough),” said interim Nuggets coach David Adelman. “We thought we controlled the pace of the game quickly. It’s easy to forget now. Once they got back to it, they brought in new people and overwhelmed us.”
The Thunder’s success is largely thanks to the defense of Alex Caruso. Despite a significant deficit, Caruso spent plenty of time on Nuggets star Nicola Djokic. Nicola Jokic often had difficulty finding a shot against Oklahoma City’s top-ranked defense.
Jokic scored 20 points in nine shootings, while Caruso finished with a Game Best Plus 40 Plus/Negative rating.
“Today’s volume was a result of how effective it was, but seeing it was a priority today,” Thunder head coach Mark Daygoon said of Caruso’s efforts. “He’s done an incredible job individualized.”
The Thunder scored 37 points from Denver’s 23 turnovers and only 10 of the ball was lifted by himself.
The Nuggets suffered a hamstring injury late in Game 6, a game time decision, playing more than 24 minutes and finishing with 8 points and 11 rebounds.
“It means a lot, especially for the city,” said Gilgeous-Alexander about his progress towards the conference final. “They were very good all year round. They were behind us, through good things, behind us. The league teams don’t have the advantage of home court like we do.”