Talking! Nuggets 119-107 Thunder, who is the pillar of this game

On May 16, 2025, the G6 in the NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semi-finals was in progress, and the Nuggets defeated the Thunder 119-107 at home. At the beginning of the game, the two teams were in a tangle, the score was tight, Murray performed efficiently with illness, and the Thunder responded with multiple points; Jokic scored a pass and scored a 9-0 attack wave, and the Thunder made three-pointers in a row to catch up; the Thunder scored 11-2 in the second quarter, and Alexander scored 9 points to lead the team to gain a double-digit advantage, the Nuggets made a big counterattack and returned a 12-0 climax, and the Thunder led 61-58 in the first half; after the change of sides, Strauser became a surprise soldier, scored 8 points in a row, and helped the Nuggets make a 10-0 attack wave to gain a double-digit advantage; the Nuggets made a steady 12-5 offensive to widen the gap to 16 points, and the Thunder struggled to catch up without success. The Nuggets successfully tied the total score of the series to 3-3, dragging the Western Conference semi-finals into a tiebreak final, and the defending champion showed strong resilience.

What are the wonderful performances of the Nuggets vs. Thunder in today's game? Let's take a look at the game data and you can see it at a glance.

Nicola Jokic-Center: Scored 29 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 turnover, shot 14-9, 3-1 three-pointers, 12-10 free throws, today's performance once again proves why he is the most dominant center in the league. Jokic scored 29 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists in the game, with a shooting percentage of up to 64.3%, showing an MVP-level performance. In the critical battle with the Nuggets facing elimination, Jokic stepped forward and led the team to equalize the series with his full dominance. On the offensive end, Jokic's scoring methods today are rich and diverse. Whether it is back-to-back singles, mid-range jump shots or inside strong attacks, they all make the Thunder's defense seem powerless. Especially when facing the defense of Homgren and Haltenstein, Jokic's technical advantages were fully demonstrated. His steps seemed slow but extremely flexible. His turn and jump shot after several back-to-back singles were simply incomprehensible. What is even more impressive is that Jokic scored consecutively at a critical moment in the fourth quarter, stabilizing the morale of the army, and showing the character of a superstar as a key gentleman. In terms of

passes, Jokic's 8 assists today were also exciting. His passing vision and creativity are second to none in the league. Whether it is high-level support or inside passes, he can accurately find the best receiving position for his teammates. In the third quarter, Jokic's two consecutive behind-the-back passes directly resulted in teammates' scores at open positions. This creative pass is not only effective, but also very ornamental. On the defensive end, Jokic's concentration and motivation today are also commendable. Behind the data of 2 steals and 1 block is his continuous improvement on the defensive end. Although moving speed is not his strength, Jokic's sense of defensive position and predictive ability make up for this shortcoming. Especially in the fourth quarter, he formed an effective deterrent to the Thunder's inside penetration, forcing the opponent to choose more difficult shots many times.

Michael Porter - Small Forward: Scored 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 9-4 shot, 3-pointer 5-2

His performance today can be said to be steady and progressing. Porter showed a good outside threat on the offensive end, and his shooting percentage of 2 of 5 shots on three-pointers opened up space for the team, giving Jokic and Murray more offensive choices. Especially in the first quarter, his bottom corner three-pointer made the Nuggets stabilize the morale and helped the team maintain the lead in the Thunder's counterattack. Porter's space stance is very smart. He can always find defensive corners and appear in the best catch position in time when Jokic attracts double teams. On the defensive end, Porter's performance today was also quite positive. Although he is not a player who is good at defense, he showed good concentration against Jaylen Williams today, with a wonderful steal and a key block reflecting his progress on the defensive end. Especially in the middle of the third quarter, his block against Jaylen Williams directly turned into a Nuggets' fast break score, becoming one of the turning points of the game.

Aron Gordon - Power Forward: Scored 5 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover, shot 7-2, 3-pointers 4-1

His performance today showed the value of a truly all-round player. Although Gordon scored only 5 points in scoring and his shooting percentage was not high, his contribution in other aspects was irreplaceable. The 7 rebounds and 7 assists fully demonstrated his comprehensiveness on the court, especially those 7 assists, demonstrating his excellent passing vision and decision-making ability. On the offensive end, Gordon took the initiative to shoulder more organizational responsibilities today and created high-quality scoring opportunities for Jokic and Murray many times. His pick-and-roll pass was particularly accurate, especially in the third quarter when he cooperated with Jokic's inside line. Several beautiful inward passes directly caused the Thunder's defense to collapse. Although his personal score is not many, his off-ball run and empty cut threat always restrain the Thunder's defensive attention and create more space for his teammates. On the defensive end, Gordon's performance today is textbook-level. He played against Alexander throughout the game for quite some time. Although Alexander scored 32 points, Gordon's defensive pressure forced Alexander into trouble many times and had to choose a more difficult move. Especially at the critical moment in the fourth quarter, Gordon's defensive strength has been significantly improved, and his defensive coverage has almost spread across the half-court, and both of them have shown top-level standards in assisted defense and one-on-one marking.

Christian Braun-Point Guard: Scored 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 14-8 shot, 6-3 three-pointers, 4-4 free throws, 4-4

His performance today can be described as "full explosion". In this crucial G6 game, Braun handed over a comprehensive data of 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. His shooting percentage was as high as 57.1%, and his three-pointer was 3 of 6 shots, showing the full value of a top 3D player.

Offensive end, Braun has a lot of scoring methods today. He not only showed a stable three-point firepower on the outside, but also caused huge trouble for the Thunder in mid-range and breakthrough. Especially in the first quarter, Braun made two consecutive three-pointers to stabilize the morale and helped the Nuggets establish a lead in the opening stage. His off-ball run is very smart and always shows up at the best catch position when Jokic and Murray are drawing defensive attention. What is even more impressive is that Braun's performance at a critical moment in the fourth quarter, two consecutive breakthroughs completely wiped out the Thunder's hope of counterattack.

Defensive end, Braun's performance today is textbook-level. Behind the data of 3 steals and 1 block is his all-round suppression of the Thunder's outside. Especially when facing Alexander, Braun’s defensive intensity and concentration were impressive. His defensive coverage is almost all over the half court, and both are assisted and redesigned and one-on-one marking have shown top-notch standards. In the third quarter, Braun directly converted two consecutive steals into the Nuggets' fast break score, becoming one of the turning points of the game.

Jamaal Murray - point guard: scored 25 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 5 turnovers, 19-9 shot, 6-2 three-pointers, 6-5 free throws, 6-5, 1} His performance today can be described as "harsh and brave" with illness. Faced with the trouble of injury, Murray still scored 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in this crucial G6 game, with a shooting percentage of nearly 50%, showing the willpower and dominance of a real superstar. On the offensive end, Murray has a rich and diverse scoring method today. His mid-range jump shot is still the top level in the league, especially in the first quarter, Murray made two consecutive mid-range jump shots to stabilize the Nuggets' morale. His breakthrough ability is equally excellent, and his layup or pass-through after breaking through the Thunder's defense many times is extremely threatening. What is even more impressive is that Murray's performance in the second half of the third quarter completely established the Nuggets' leading advantage. In terms of organizational offense, Murray's seven assists today demonstrated his comprehensiveness as a point guard. His pick-and-roll cooperation with Jokic is perfect, and the tacit understanding between the two has caused the Thunder defense to fall into chaos many times. Especially in the fourth quarter, Murray's several accurate passes directly resulted in his teammates' scores at open positions. This creative pass is not only effective, but also extremely ornamental.

Julian Strauser - Substitute: scored 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 fouls, shot 8-4, three-pointers 4-3, free throws 4-4

His performance today is "a surprise win". As a substitute for the Nuggets, Strauser contributed 15 points in this crucial G6 game, made 3 of 4 three-pointers, and made all four free throws, becoming one of the key factors for the Nuggets to win. On the offensive end, Strauser has a lot of firepower on the outside today. Especially in the third quarter, he made two consecutive three-pointers to help the Nuggets establish a double-digit lead, becoming a turning point in the game. His off-ball run is very smart and always shows up at the best catch position when Jokic and Murray are drawing defensive attention. Strauser's shooting choice was also very wise, with almost no strong shots, and every shot was at the best time. On the defensive end, Strauser's concentration and motivation today are also commendable. Although there were no steals and blocks, his defensive pressure and active turn to the Nuggets' overall defense made a significant contribution. Especially when facing the Thunder substitute, Strauser's defensive intensity and concentration are impressive.

Nuggets' other substitutes' players performed

To be honest, except for Strauser, the surprise player on the Nuggets' bench, the performance of others is also quite interesting. Although Westbrook's shooting was not very smooth and his 8-point and 3 rebounds looked average, the fighting spirit was really unspeakable, especially the action of grabbing the frontcourt rebounds in the second quarter, which made me feel excited! However, he made a lot of mistakes in four mistakes today, especially when he threw the ball directly into the audience, which was really ridiculous.

Watson felt bad today, with only 1 of 7 shots and only scored 4 points, but his key block on the defensive end was really beautiful and directly detonated the whole game. To be honest, the Nuggets' bench overall performance is still quite stable today, especially when the Thunder overtook the situation in the second quarter, the substitutes stabilized the situation and laid the foundation for the main force's counterattack after they came back.

It is worth mentioning that the Nuggets head coach's rotation arrangement today is very reasonable, and the playing time of the substitute players is properly allocated, which not only ensures the main force's physical strength, but also fully plays the role of a substitute. This is also one of the important factors in which the Nuggets can win this key victory away.