Thunder 107 vs 119 Nuggets Game 6 live online: stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoffs
Jamal Murray may have been sick, but he came through huge for his team in Game 6. He had 25, 8 and 7 all while battling an illness. When asked if there was any chance he was going to miss this game, he had a simple answer.
Russell Westbrook didn't have a great night but he had the final say against his old team. This bucket sealed the win and forced a Game 7 from Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon. We knew this series was going to be close, and we are getting the ending that everyone deserves.
It's not easy to go into the house of a weathered champion and knock them out of the playoffs. The Thunder found that out in Game 6. They wanted to have to beat the Nuggets and now they are going to have to do it in a Game 7.
Jokic was the only one who showed up in the fourth quarter of the last game. On Thursday night he got some help. He still had 10 points, but everyone else came to his aid.
The intensity was there from start to finish for the Nuggets. This is a team that had struggled in the second half of the previous two games, getting outscored 63-37 but they buckled down on both ends to extend the series.
The Thunder have dominated bench play in this series. They still won that battle in Game 6 but it was Julian Strawther who stepped to the plate and took over the game. Denver went on a 10-0 run in which he had 8 straight points and that turned the tide for the final 15 minutes.
Jokic was great in this game but he didn't have to be dominant. He allowed his teammates to chip in, which is what the Nuggets needed to win. Even with him sharing the spotlight he still had 29, 14 and 8.
The Nuggets bounced back after going down by double digits. They went on a 12-0 run that would tie the game with this three from Braun. Dort would hit a three to end the half, but that wouldn't break up the run from the Nuggets to start the third quarter.
The Thunder defense turned on thanks to Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams who had a dreadful game from the field. He shot just 3/16 but his defense helped spark a run that would give OKC the lead heading into halftime.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was starting to get hot after a slow start the the first quarter, but picked up his fourth foul in the second quarter and that changed the game entirely.
Jokic and Murray were always going to show up in the biggest game of the season but this game was going to come down to the role players. They showed up in a big way on Thursday night. Christian Braun had 23 points and had the performance of his postseason when his team needed him the most.
The Denver Nuggets were facing elimination in front of their home crowd, but forced a 7th and decisive game on Thursday night from Ball Arena. Nikola Jokic led the way with 29 points and 14 rebounds in the Game 6 win.
Jamal Murray was added to the injury list this afternoon and had to fight through an illness all night long. He said after the game that there was no way he was missing this game, and that was great news for the Nuggets.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
WE ARE SET FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON GAME 7 FROM OKC!!!
Braun to the line after the foul on Wallace and he hits both FTs.
Jokic fouled by Williams and he hits both FTs.
Caruso in the corner and he drills the three ball!
Timeout Nuggets with 55 to go.
The call stands and Jokic goes to the line and he hits both FTs.
Caruso called for a foul and the Thunder are going to challenge the call.
SGA to the iron and he lays it up and in.
Westbrook attacks the rack and he finger rolls it up and in.
Holmgren to the cup and he gets the lay up to go and the foul on Jokic! FT is good.
Jokic fouled by Caruso and he heads to the line where he hits both FTs.
Caruso with another steal, this one on Jokic, and SGA picks up the loose ball and takes it to the rack for the lay up.
Caruso with the steal on Murray and he gets it to Joe for the quick lay up.
SGA pulls up in the lane and he gets it to fall.
Timeout Nuggets with 3:11 to go.
Jokic to Strawther in the corner and he drains the three ball!!! He's got 15 for the game all in this half.
Timeout Thunder with 3:54 to go in the 4th quarter!!!
SGA drives and dumps it down for Holmgren on the jam.
No look pass from Jokic to Braun down low for the layup.
Caruso with a three ball from the corner! The Thunder needed that.
Strawther to the line after the foul on Caruso and he hits both FTs.
Timeout Thunder with 5:17 to go in the 4th quarter.
Jokic drives and floats it up and in from the paint.
Jokic sinks a three ball out of the timeout and the lead it up to 14!
Timeout Nuggets with 6:49 to go in the 4th quarter.
SGA pulls up and hits a baseline jumper. He's got 26 on the night.
Strawther to the line after the foul on Dort and he hits both FTs.
Strawther missed the lay up but Westbrook was there with the follow.
Caruso with back to back buckets, this time in transition for the lay up.
Caruso with a wide open lay up after SGA shifts it across the lane from down low.
Murray on the step back three ball from the top of the key and the lead is up to double digits! Murray has 25!
SGA to the line after the foul on Braun and he hits both FTs to end the quarter.
Murray up top for Strawther and he lays it up and in with a 180 lay up. 10-0 run for Denver, 8 of those from Strawther!
Strawther with another three ball, his second in a matter of minutes! This one from the corner off the dish from Murray!
Jokic on the block and release to Murray who takes it to the rack on the break for the lay up!
Strawther pulls up and hits a three ball from the wing!
SGA to the cup and gets the reverse lay up to fall over Murray.
Timeout Nuggets with 2:41 to go in the third quarter.
Jokic backs down Hartenstein and hits the jump hook on the baseline.
Braun to the line after the foul on Wallace and he hits both FTs.
Wiggins missed the lay up but Hartenstein was there with the put back slam over Jokic!
Murray slicing to the rack, gets the lay up to fall and the foul! FT is good after the foul on Wiggins.
Williams driving and dumping for Hartenstein and he slams it home.
MPJ starting to heat up with a deep two off the step back.
Hartenstein on the jam off the dump down from Caruso.
Murray misses the three ball but Braun came screaming in for the rebound and put back.
Holmgren answers back and hits a three ball from the wing off the dish from Williams!
Murray follows his miss and it finds MPJ who hits the open three ball!
SGA steps into a three from the top of the key and hits it.
Jokic gets it down low and puts it up and in quickly off the entry pass from Gordon.
Dort pulls up and hits the fader in the paint.
SGA with the side step, bucket and the foul on Murray! FT is good.
Murray to the line after the break and he hits both FTs.
Murray fouled by Holmgren and the Thunder are going to take a timeout less than two minutes into the quarter.
Murray pulls up from inside the FT line and hits the short jumper to give DEN the lead.
Jokic on the floater to start the half. He's got 14 points and look for him to be more involved this half.
WE ARE BACK IN DENVER FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!
Lu Dort hit a three to end the half, but before that Denver went on a 12-0 run to close the gap.
Braun has 15, Murray has 13 and Jokic has 12 and 7 rebounds.
The Thunder got up by double digits late in the second quarter but shortly after that SGA picked up his fourth foul and the Nuggets went on a run.
The game sort of turned on it's belly here. After a little skermish with Caruso and Gordon, the Thunder got the turnover and Holmgren took it for the slam. That sparked a run that put the Thunder up the rest of the way.
SGA did something to his hand early in the first quarter and we saw him clutching it more than a few times but even more trouble than that are his four fouls. He's got 14 but is going to play limited minutes in the second half.
It is going to be up to the rest of the guys to help Jokic and Murray and Gordon picked off the pass and looked for Braun on this play. Braun has 15 in the first half.
Jamal Murray's name popped up in the injury report earlier today after coming down with an illness but he started and started hot. This four point play was part of a first quarter in which he had 9 early points.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE HALFTIME BREAK FROM DENVER!!!
Williams to the corner for Dort and he beats the buzzer with a deep two!
Braun in the corner off the inbound and he drills the three ball! He's got 15!
Normal foul called, and Murray gets to the cup and gets a lay up to fall over Holmgren with the left hand.
Williams called for an offensive could after swinging an elbow into the face of Murray and the refs are going to look at that with 55 seconds to go.
Gordon goes coast to coast and finishes with a flush!
SGA just picked up his fourth foul!! He fouled Jokic on the break after losing the ball and he's heading to the bench. He's got four and Hartenstein has 3. Jokic hits both FTs.
Braun steps back and hits the three ball from the top of the key!
Holmgren in the corner off the extra pass from Jay. Williams and he hits the three!
Jokic to the line after the foul on Holmgren but he misses both FTs.
After review Braun was called for a foul before the ball went out of bounds and SGA goes to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
Out of bounds off of SGA last, but the Thunder are going to challenge that call with under 3:00 to go in the 2nd quarter.
SGA with the step back three ball from the top of the key and OKC have their largest lead of the night.
MPJ sends SGA to the line where he hits both FTs.
Jokic to the line after the third foul on SGA and he hits both FTs.
SGA on the runner from the FT line and hits while looking for the foul. He's got 8 points on the night.
Westbrook to the line after the foul on Jay. Williams and he hits one of two FTs.
Williams with a catch and shoot on the floater in the lane out of the timeout.
Caruso has been a pest for Denver and his defense led to this turnover from the Nuggets that sparked a Thunder run that put OKC in the lead.
Braun pushing the pace on the break and he lays it up and in over Hartenstein.
Timeout Thunder with 5:08 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Williams from the elbow and he hits the mid range jumper.
MPJ on the pump fake, dribble and mid range jumper.
Murray gave it up in the lane and that leads to a Holmgren alley oop on the lob from Caruso.
Wallace goes right at Jokic and lays it up as he blew past the big man.
Jokic called for an iffy foul on the Holmgren lay up, but he misses both FTs.
Holmgren stops at the FT line goes up and under and finger rolls it in.
Jokic with the follow and lay in off the miss from Braun.
Wallace in the corner and he ties the game up with a three ball off the dish from Williams.
Williams steals the inbound and he finds Holmgren streaking down the lane for the two handed jam!
Timeout Nuggets with 9:02 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Watson fouled by Jay. Williams and he hits both FTs.
Murray sendsd Jay Williams to the line and he hits one of the two FTs.
SGA pulls up from the mid range and he hits it from the wing.
Watson misses the three ball but Westbrook follows up the air ball and tips it in.
SGA to the line after the foul on Murray and he hits one of two FTs. He is clutching his shooting hand after taking a hit a couple possessions ago, but he's going to keep playing. That's something we will keep an eye on.
Watson picks up the loose ball and takes it to the cup on the break.
SGA has just three points after the first quarter but the Thunder chipped into the double digit lead at the end of the first 12 minutes.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER!!
OKC end it on an 8-0 run and it's a three point game. Murray has 11 to lead all scorers. Three different Thunder players have 5 a piece.
SGA on the leaner in the lane and he banks it in to beat the buzzer.
Jay. Williams running the break and Holmgren hit him for the two handed slam!
Holmgren spins around MPJ and stretches to the cup for the lay up.
Westbrook to the line after the foul on Wallace and he hits one of two FTs.
Westbrook throws it away and Wallace takes it to the rack on the other end.
It's going to be up to everyone else not named Jokic and Murray to deliver a win tonight and so far so good from the supporting cast.
Timeout Nuggets with 2:32 to go in the 1st quarter!
Gordon on the drive and dish to Braun in the corner and he hits the three ball!
Wiggins on the baseline and he hits the floater from outside the lane.
Pass into Jokic from Braun and he shields off the defender and lays it up and in.
Murray pulls up from the mid range and hits it on the baseline.
Jay. Williams steps into a three ball and knocks it down from the top of the key!
MPJ with a pump fake and pull up from the wing and he drills the three. That's his first make in his last 12 attempts.
Wallace with a corner three ball and that ends a 3 minute drought from OKC.
Jokic down the lane and he floats it up and in off the dribble.
Gordon with the steal and he finds Braun on the break with a two handed slam!
Timeout Thunder and Ball Arena is on their feet with 6:32 to go to in the 1st quarter!
Gordon was left all alone on the wing and he drills the three ball!
Murray to the cup and he scoops and scored down the right side of the lane! He's got 9 on the night.
Jokic sends SGA to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
Murray to the line after the foul on SGA and heh its one of two FTs.
Jokic dancing in the lane and he gets it to fall in traffic.
Williams beats the Nuggets down the floor an gets an easy transition bucket to go.
Dort with back to back buckets, this time from the top of the key with a three ball!
Murray pulls up from the elbow and he hits the mid range jumper.
SGA finds Dort darting to the iron for the slam down the lane.
Braun streaks to the cup on the baseline and he jams it home.
Williams pulls up from the top of the key and he nails the deep two.
Murray jacks the three, drills it and got the foul on Hartenstein! FT i good!
Hartenstein starts us off with a floater on the baseline after the dump down from SGA.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM DENVER IN GAME 6!!!
Murray not feeling 100%
Apparently Jamal Murray is feeling a bit under the weather. Nothing has been said out of the Denver camp other than the fact that he has been feeling sick today. He is going to give it a go tonight from Ball Arena in a must win game, but we will be monitoring how he his both feeling and looking in this crucial game from Ball Arena.
Jokic vs. SGA live
SGA said he's expecting the Nuggets greatest punch tonight in Denver. It's a close out game and this is where MVP awards are cemented. This could be the last time we see Jokic in what's been a historic season for the Serbian. SGA has a chance to close out Jokic and Denver, and that would basically secure him his first Most Valuable Player award.
Starting five: Thunder
OKC are going with their usual starting five tonight in Denver. They will be hoping to take the crowd out of this game early, and it's going to be up to SGA, Dort, Williams, Holmgren and Hartenstein.
Nuggets starting five
If the Nuggets are going to extend their season tonight, it's going to be because of thir starting five. We already talked about the Denver bench being largely ineffective, so these five need to be great. It's Murray, Braun, Gordon, MPJ and Jokic starting Game 6 in Denver.
Injury report: Thunder
Depth isn’t the only thing that has favored the Thunder this season and into the playoffs. They have stayed healthy which is just as important if not more important than anything else in the postseason. Look at the Warriors who had to play without Steph Curry. Boston won last night without Tatum, but they are going to have a tough time without their star. The Thunder will cross their fingers that they can stay healthy for as long as they can. The only injury they have is Nikola Topic who has been out since early this year.
Injury report: Nuggets
Michael Porter Jr. may not be on the injury list but his banged up left shoulder has been keeping him from being the player we saw help the Nuggets win the NBA Finals a couple years ago. He had a solid first round, but he’s averaging 7.2 ppg and has only scored double digits once. In the last two games he is 2/14 and 0/10 from three point range. That’s the only injury the Nuggets have to worry about other than DaRon Holmes and Hunter Tyson who have been out for extended time.
Wolves waiting in next round
Last night Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed the gentleman’s sweep over the Golden State Warriors who were without Steph Curry since Game 1. The are back in the Conference Finals for the second straight year and now they sit back and wait for a winner of this series. If the Thunder win, it will set up match up with two of the youngest teams in the league. If the Nuggets win, then these two games will meet on Saturday for an all or nothing Game 7 from OKC. Either way the Wolves are going to get some much needed rest after winning their second straight series 4-1 over LeBron and the Lakers then Steph and the Warriors.
MVP to be decided tonight?
The MVP award is a regular season award. Strangely enough all the other regular season awards have been handed out, but the MVP has yet to be named. That could be coincidence or it could be because they are waiting for this series to wrap up. The two favorites for the 2024/25 Most Valuable Player have been match up in this series, and so far it’s been pretty even when it comes to individual performances. Jokic has been brilliant, but so has SGA. Like in the regular season SGA and the Thunder have the better record, but Joker has his chance to have his say tonight and potentially in Game 7. They want us to believe this series won’t determine who wins the award, but we will just see about that.
Thunder's last dance in WCF
The Thunder are on the verge of doing something they haven’t done in a long long time. There was a time in which the Thunder were regulars in the Conference Finals. Those of course were the days of KD and Westbrook and Harden. That team made one run to the NBA Finals and got tot he Conference Finals four times in six years. They were never able to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and their team fell apart after falling to the Warriors in in Game 7 of the 2016 Conference Finals. There would be a dark period for the Thunder for the next seven seasons, but this team was close to getting back to the WCF last season and tonight they can secure their return with a win in Ball Arena. The rebuild process took while but if the Thunder get back to the Confernce Finals it will have been worth the wait.
OKC growing up before our eyes
The Thunder wanted this. They wanted a match up against a playoff savy, veteran team like the Nuggets who have championship pedigree. They may be young, but they know that games like tonight and series like the one they are currently leading are the way to grow and mature into a title contender. They welcomed the challenge and showed signs of weakness in two of the first three games of the series. Since then they seem like they have adjusted on the fly and grown from one game to another. Now they have to do one of the hardest things in basketball. They have to close out the Nuggets on their home court. If they can make it happen tonight, this time might just be ready to call themselves title contenders.
Battle of the benches
It’s not secret. The Thunder are one of the deepest teams in the league and that’s what has helped get them to this point of the postseason. It’s also no secret that the Nuggets have one of the thinnest benches in the league. The disparity has been eye popping in this series. When Jokic on the bench, the Nuggets suffer. There’s no shock there. What is surprising is how little production the Nuggets get from their bench. The Thunder bench has outscored that of the Nuggets in each of the five games, and in the last three games Denver is getting an average of less than 10 points a game off their bench. That’s not going to cut it against a Thunder team that can beat you in so many ways.
Star watch: Nuggets
How much more can Nikola Jokic do? He he poured in a postseason high 44 points to make it two 40 points games in this series. He is averaging 30 ppg on the dot, and the fact that he hasn’t registered double digit assists isn’t really his fault. When you take into a account the Serbian went 4/5 from the field in the fourth quarter while his teammates went 1/15 in the final 12 minutes, you realize that Jokic’s slump in assists isn’t really the three time MVP’s fault. Regardless, he is going to have to get his teammates involved from start to finish because him scoring 40+ points has proved not to be enough. If the Nuggets are going to stretch the series to a 7th game, Jokic has to be at an MVP level tonight.
Star watch: Thunder
MVPs show up when it matters most and that’s what we can expect from SGA tonight. He had come under some criticism after the Thunder went down 2-1, but he welcomed the critics and rose to the challenge. He had 31 points in what was a game that the Thunder couldn’t afford to lose at home, and more importantly he had some big shots late in the game. He is the leader of this team, but he does it with his actions not his words. Tonight, if the Thunder are going to win, it’s going to be up to SGA to lead his team to the Conference Finals. He’s averaging 28.2, 7.8 rebounds and and 7.2 assists in this series and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him surpass those numbers to shut the door on Denver in front of their home fans.
Game 5 recap
Unlike Game 4 where both teams came out ice cold, Game 5 was tight and even throughout. The lead went back and forth as each team amassed runs but the Nuggets got hot in the third quarter and took a 12 point lead which was the largest of the night. Nikola Jokic was unstoppable all night long, scoring for 44 and 15 points, and Jamal Murray had a great first three quarters but the Nuggets went ice cold from the field in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile Lu Dort got hot hitting three straight threes to start the final 12 minutes. OKC used a 7 minute Denver field goal drought to take the lead as SGA and Jalen Willams took over. Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points and and Jalen Williams closed out the game late in the fourth to give the Thunder a 3-2 lead coming into tonight.
We are live from Denver
Hello everyone and welcome to Ball Arena where the Nuggets need a win tonight in front of their home fans. They have won two games in this series, but haven’t dominated a single one. They needed a late three at the end of regulation for one of those wins and needed overtime for another. Since those tight wins, the Thunder have seemingly matured and learned how to win those close playoff games late in the quarter. They have won the last two games by holding off the Nuggets to take a 3-2 lead and now they can close out Nikola Jokic and Denver with a win this evening.
Thunder vs. Nuggets Game 6
It’s an elimination game from the Mile High City and the home team is up against the ropes tonight. The top team in the league took care of business at home on Tuesday night and now they are a win away from returning to the Western Conference Final for the first time in a long time. It’s the Denver Nuggets facing elimination against an OKC Thunder team that can close out the series tonight. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of Game 6 from Ball Arena.