In Game 5, Lu Dort came up huge. In Game 6, it was Julian Strawther.
Strawther, who hadn’t scored more than nine points in these playoffs, scored 15, including the final 1:37 of the third quarter in which he broke an 80-80 tie between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets with an eight-point burst.
Strawther was joined by Jamal Murray, who was reportedly sick ahead of Game 6, in swinging the game. Denver’s second star scored 25 points and got off to a strong start, scoring 11 of those in the first quarter. Christian Braun also came up huge for the Nuggets, scoring 23 points and hitting three massive 3-pointers.
Of course, Nikola Jokic gave his best effort as well. The three-time MVP scored 29 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and dishing out a series-high eight assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did his best to keep up with Jokic, scoring 32 of his own points on 68% shooting, but the rest of the Thunder let him down. Chet Holmgren performed well with 19 points and 11 rebounds, but Jalen Williams turned in a dismal performance.
Williams, who, on paper, is filling the role that Murray is thriving in for Denver, scored just six points on 3 for 16 shooting, missing several wide-open looks, including a 3 late in the fourth quarter that would’ve given OKC some life.
After a terrific Game 3 in which he scored 32 points, Williams has struggled mightily. Over the past three games, Williams has combined for just 34 points despite spending significant time as an on-ball creator when Gilgeous-Alexander is off the floor.
Should OKC want to win in Game 7 and beyond, Williams has to look like the second star he has played like all season. If he comes up small, the Thunder could easily come up short in OKC on Sunday and have little chance of defeating Minnesota or one of the three teams remaining in the East.
Williams’ underwhelming performance was the most glaring, but he wasn’t alone.
OKC shot 27% from 3 as opposed to 37% from Denver, who made more 3-pointers on fewer attempts. If Denver is going to dominate the free-throw game, OKC has to match those extra points from deep.
The Thunder also struggled to limit fouls. At the forefront of that, despite his performance, was Gilgeous-Alexander. With OKC leading by nine, Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul and had to leave the game. By the end of the half, Denver trailed by just three.
That stretch proved huge at the end of the game, as those six points that OKC surrendered would’ve closed the gap significantly as it tried to come back.
With how dominant OKC has been at home this season, having a Game 7 at home has to be comforting. That said, there are things that it needs to clean up if it wants to defeat a Denver team that has been in this spot before, while the Thunder plays in its first Game 7 since the NBA Bubble in 2020.
At the top of that list — Williams has to be the star he has shown he can be, or OKC will be packing its bags sooner or later.
