Nikola Jokic on Thursday scored 29 points and unheralded bench player Julian Strawther produced a crucial late burst as the Denver Nuggets clinched a series-leveling 119-107 victory over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
A hard-fought NBA Western Conference semi-final series now goes to a decisive Game 7 in Oklahoma City tomorrow after another ferocious duel between two evenly matched teams.
Serbian star Jokic was once again the anchor of a composed Denver performance, finishing with 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists to shepherd the Nuggets to victory.
Photo: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Jamal Murray added 25 points, while Christian Braun finished with 23, but arguably the most significant contribution came from the bench, with Strawther scoring 15 points.
“Tonight we had a guy step up,” Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman said of Strawther’s performance. “He made some shots and then our main people were still complementary.”
Denver’s win came after they had fallen 3-2 down in the series following late stumbles to lose Game 4 and Game 5.
“Those losses were tough, but the series is still here,” Adelman said. “I know it’s a cliche, but every game is its own chapter, its own thing, its own entity, and different people are going to step up, and now we’ve put ourselves in a position where we can say: ‘Hey, let’s go see what happens on Sunday.’ And I know I’ve got a group of guys that have been in a lot of Game 7s and seen a lot of things. So we’re excited for the opportunity.”
Oklahoma City looked ready to clinch a series victory after surging into a 12-point lead late in the second quarter at the Ball Arena, but Denver, as they have done all series, once again refused to roll over and rallied to trim the Thunder lead to 61-58 at the break.
There was little to choose between the teams for most of the third quarter, and with just under two minutes remaining in the frame, the score was level at 80-80.
Yet within moments Denver had suddenly opened up a double-digit advantage after a 10-0 run that put the Nuggets into a 90-80 lead.
The scoring spree came from an unlikely source, with the 23-year-old Strawther, in only his second season in the league, suddenly finding his scoring range.
Strawther knocked down back-to-back three-pointers followed by a layup to rattle in eight of the 10 points in the Denver run.
With their noses in front, the 2023 NBA champions ruthlessly held a firm grip on the contest through the fourth quarter, keeping the Thunder safely at arm’s length to close out the win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City’s scoring with 32 points, while Chet Holmgren finished with 19.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said his team, who recorded a league-best 68 wins in the regular season, would be ready to bounce back on their home court tomorrow.
“First of all credit Denver — they threw a punch tonight, as has happened all series,” Daigneault said. “Both teams have been exchanging blows and they got theirs in tonight. Both teams have done a great job so far of getting back up, including us, and we need to do that on Sunday.”
“Other than that, we need to be who we’ve been all season and embrace the opportunity that’s in front of us,” he said. “We get to play that game at home on Sunday because of the work we did during the regular season. So we’re obviously disappointed in the outcome tonight, but when the ball goes up in the air we’ll be excited to go.”
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
The Crusaders yesterday produced a clinical performance in difficult conditions to beat the Queensland Reds 32-12 and claim home advantage in next week’s Super Rugby semi-finals. Lock Scott Barrett and prop Tamaiti Williams scored first-half tries to reward an outstanding performance from the Crusaders’ forwards in wet, slippery conditions and bitterly cold temperatures. Scrumhalf Noah Hotham defied the conditions in the second half to score a superb solo try and, after kicking a conversion and penalty to make the score 22-0 at the hour mark, flyhalf Rivez Reihana scored a try which took the game beyond the Reds. “Typical Christchurch weather, cold, wet
Ryan Yarbrough picked up a dazzling World Series ring from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Then he went out and beat them. The New York Yankees starter on Sunday pitched one-run ball over six innings, struck out a season-high five and blanked the Dodgers’ top four hitters in a 7-3 win. “I feel like I’m in a really good place right now and really trying to continue that,” Yarbrough said. “I’m having a lot of fun.” The 33-year-old left-hander made 44 relief appearances between the Dodgers and Blue Jays last season. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on July
Spain starlets Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams dazzled on Thursday as La Roja beat France 5-4 in a thriller in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a UEFA Nations League final with Portugal. Yamal bagged a brace, while Williams scored and provided an assist as the two wingers cut France’s makeshift defense to ribbons. Mikel Merino and Pedri were also on the score sheet for the UEFA Euro 2024 champions. Kylian Mbappe netted a second-half penalty, but Spain were 5-1 up and cruising, before Les Bleus suddenly woke up as their opponents took their foot off the pedal. France’s three late goals — a
RSS