Denver Drags Oklahoma to Do-Or-Die Game 7 in West Semis Clash

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Denver Nuggets showed resiliency and the hunger to win after dispatching the Oklahoma City Thunder, 119-107, during Game 6 of their Western Conference best-of-seven semifinal playoff series on May 16, 2025.

With the much-needed dub, the Nuggets survived elimination from the playoffs and forced the No. 1 team in the West to a winner-take-all Game 7 rubber match that will take place in Oklahoma, on May 19, 2025.

It was a brave stand for the home team after the Thunder led by as much as 12 points in the first half, led by the savvy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who despite being plagued with early foul trouble, found ways to dissect the Denver perimeter defense and knife his way to his sweet spots.

Just when Oklahoma thought they could repeat their previous first-half masterclass, the Nuggets responded with a momentum-boosting 12-0 run in the final two minutes of the second period that stopped their bleeding offensively.

With the score deadlocked at 58-all, Oklahoma found a spark from Lugentz Dort, who knocked down a buzzer-beating three-pointer that put the Thunder up by three points heading into the second half, 61-58.

Both teams figured in a nip-and-tuck affair in the first seven minutes of the third, with Oklahoma taking the early lead before the Nuggets answered back with their own run.

However, just like the ending in the second quarter, Denver once again staged a demoralizing run in the final three minutes of the third, spearheaded by Julian Strawther who uncorked eight straight points that gave the Nuggets a 90-82 advantage.

Strawther, who only scored 14 points in the past five games of the Western Conference semifinals, peaked at the most perfect time and provided the much-needed offensive punch that the Nuggets needed from the bench.

The young shooter sprayed back-to-back three-pointers and ended his third-quarter frenzy with an alley-oop layup that put Denver in a comfortable position heading into the final 12 minutes of the pivotal Game 6.

Unfortunately for the league-leading squad, their offense went cold to start the fourth, which Denver capitalized on every time they missed their wide-open three-pointer.

Oklahoma failed to find the bottom of the net in their first seven tries from downtown, resulting in a quick Denver counterattack en route to their largest lead of the game at 12 points midway through the fourth.

The Thunder tried to mount a late come-from-behind effort just like their Game 5 performance, but the duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray restored order for the Nuggets and sealed the deal with clutch plays.

Murray, who was listed as questionable entering the game due to an illness, showed how champions deal with adversity as he delivered 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and a block.

Meanwhile, Jokic led the Nuggets in scoring as he tallied his usual all-around numbers of 29 markers, 14 boards, eight dimes, two steals, and a block.

Christian Braun’s best-scoring game of the ongoing series also lifted the Nuggets out of the mud, especially in the second quarter when the Thunder built their double-digit cushion. He finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and three steals.

Strawther’s huge third-quarter surge was capped off with 15 points and only missed a single shot from the three-point territory out of four total tries.

On the other hand, the Thunder received a huge 32-point night from SGA, but his co-star, Jalen Williams, had his worst shooting outing against the Nuggets with only six points.

Can Oklahoma take care of business and finally finish the series at home? Or will the Nuggets pull through on the road and set up a highly-anticipated series rematch against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals?