This was a categorical Oklahoma City demolition.
The Thunder blitzed the Denver Nuggets in a 125-93 victory Sunday evening to take Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal, setting up a showdown against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals.
Oklahoma City guard and Most Valuable Player candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting (63.2%). His competition for the award, Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half. (MVP voting concluded before the playoffs began).e Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder:
WINNERS
Thunder’s balance and depth
Known for being one of the more cohesive teams in the NBA, the Thunder lived up to their reputation Sunday. Through their first 35 points, all eight players who had entered had scored, with no player recording more than six points.
Oklahoma City’s eight-man rotation shot 51.6% from the field and recorded 26 assists on 44 field goals.
Alex Caruso’s defense
Nuggets center Nikola Jokić is listed at 6-foot-11 and 284 pounds. Thunder guard Alex Caruso, acquired this offseason, is listed at 6-foot-5 and 186 pounds. Yet, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault opted to deploy Caruso as the primary defender on Jokić and Caruso responded, not backing down, using his physicality and strength to pester Jokić until help arrived. In the first half, Jokić shot just 1-of-6 from the floor when Caruso was the primary defender.
Overall, Caruso forced four turnovers and was key in another, with a timely double team that forced a 24-second shot clock violation in the fourth.
Christian Braun
One of the few bright spots for the Nuggets, third-year guard Christian Braun posted a very efficient 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Braun scored nine in the first quarter and looked to rush out in transition throughout the game.
OKC runs in 2nd quarter
Behind swarming defense and forced turnovers, the Thunder went on a pair of debilitating runs during opposite ends of the second quarter. Going back to the one-minute mark at the end of the first quarter, the Thunder went on a 16-3 run. Then, Oklahoma City closed the first half on an 18-5 run.
LOSERS
Nuggets’ second quarter
Denver, for the most part, held its own in the first quarter, taking a five-point lead into the second period. But cold shooting, carelessness with the ball and no answer for Oklahoma City’s swarming defense and transition offense led to a massive turnaround. The Nuggets were outscored in the period by 19 points, shooting just 6-of-20 (30%) from the field.
Jamal Murray
With Aaron Gordon hobbled, gutting it out and playing just three days after suffering a left hamstring strain, the Nuggets needed a big day from point guard Jamal Murray. Unfortunately for Denver, he did not deliver.
Murray, who has been battling flu, started slowly, making just one of his first five shots. Although he did end up with 13 points, much of that came when the game was already out of hand. He finished 6-of-16 from the field, including an abysmal 1-of-8 (12.5%) from 3-point range.
The Nuggets from beyond the arc
Speaking of poor shooting from deep, the Nuggets struggled from 3 throughout the game, with the eight-man rotation shooting just 18.9% (7-of-37) from beyond the arc. The Thunder — with their length, size and athleticism — excel at perimeter defense, and it showed Sunday evening.
Denver’s ball security
The Thunder are the top defensive team in the NBA, and led the league in steals with 10.3 per game. The one thing the Nuggets absolutely could not afford to do, turn the ball over, was exactly what they did in Game 7. Denver gave the ball away 23 times, leading to 37 Thunder points.
By comparison, the Thunder committed just 10 turnovers, leading to only seven Nuggets points.