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Mark Daigneault emptied his bench with 40 seconds remaining.
It was the waving of the white flag for the OKC Thunder, which ultimately suffered a 119-107 road loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday.
OKC lost the battle on a night when it could've advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2016. Now, the winner of this war of a series will be decided with Game 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday in Oklahoma City (ABC).
Here are four more takeaways from the game:
More: Thunder vs Nuggets live score today, highlights, how to watch NBA Playoffs Game 6
After checking out of the game, Jamal Murray sat on the bench and buried his face into a towel.
The Denver guard was in no mood to joke around with his teammates. And whenever he did peek at the action on the floor, he displayed the fatigue of someone who'd just played through four quarters of grueling basketball.
Except it was only the first quarter. It was a clear a sign of being under the weather for Murray, who was listed as questionable earlier in the day due to an illness.
But that was the only time Murray showed any signs of weakness.
Murray ultimately gave it a go in the must-win game, and he looked sharp from the opening tipoff. He racked up 11 points in the first quarter on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.
Murray continued to deliver for Denver throughout the night despite not being at full strength. He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to help the Nuggets force a Game 7.
More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be the next MVP, but can he be the face of the NBA his way?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander held both hands up, desperate to show he meant no harm. But the damage was already done.
After turning the ball over with 1:30 left in the second quarter, the superstar guard quickly tried to grab it back from Nikola Jokic. He instead grabbed Jokic's forearm and was called for a foul.
His fourth foul, to be exact, which marked a playoff career high for a first half. That forced Gilgeous-Alexander to go to the bench, and Denver outscored OKC 9-3 throughout the rest of the quarter to trim the deficit to 61-58.
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't the only Thunder player who was plagued by early foul trouble. Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein also committed three fouls apiece in the first half.
More: How OKC Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein improved as Nikola Jokic's backup with Nuggets
Jalen Williams attacked the rim on a fastbreak, determined to give OKC a jolt of energy.
The Thunder needed exactly that. It trailed 93-86 with 9:17 left in a game that was beginning to slip through its hands.
But the promising play didn't swing momentum in OKC's favor. Instead, Peyton Watson pinned Williams' layup to the backboard for an emphatic block that energized the home crowd at Ball Arena.
It was that kind of a night for Williams, who stuffed the stat sheet with 10 assists and seven rebounds but struggled to put the ball through the hoop. He scored six points on 3-for-16 shooting from the field (18.8%) and 0-for-4 shooting from deep.
Williams' scoring production has been inconsistent throughout this series as he continues to play through a nagging wrist injury. He's averaging 16.5 points on 33.7% shooting from the field and 21.2% shooting from deep.
More: How Jalen Williams fought through nagging wrist injury to lift OKC Thunder past Nuggets
Murray didn't smile much during his postgame press conference on Tuesday.
That's understandable, considering Denver had just suffered a 112-105 road loss in Game 5. The narrow defeat placed the Nuggets in a 3-2 series hole, on the brink of elimination.
But Murray did smile for a brief moment. It happened when a reporter asked how confident he was that Denver would be back in Oklahoma City for a Game 7 on Sunday.
"Very confident," Murray quickly answered. "I always am."
Murray was right.
Denver handled its business at home in Game 6. The 2023 champs evened the series at 3-3, sending it back to OKC for Game 7.
Jokic led the Nuggets with 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points and six assists, while Chet Holmgren chipped in 19 points and 11 boards.
OKC is 2-2 all-time in Game 7s. Its last one was against Houston in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
Then-rookie guard Lu Dort scored a game-high 30 points in the 104-102 loss. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points and four assists.
More: How OKC Thunder went from rebuilder to NBA playoff contender in dizzying speed
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder can't close out Nuggets to force Game 7 in NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
It was the waving of the white flag for the OKC Thunder, which ultimately suffered a 119-107 road loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday.
OKC lost the battle on a night when it could've advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2016. Now, the winner of this war of a series will be decided with Game 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday in Oklahoma City (ABC).
Here are four more takeaways from the game:
More: Thunder vs Nuggets live score today, highlights, how to watch NBA Playoffs Game 6
Jamal Murray delivered heroic performance while under the weather
After checking out of the game, Jamal Murray sat on the bench and buried his face into a towel.
The Denver guard was in no mood to joke around with his teammates. And whenever he did peek at the action on the floor, he displayed the fatigue of someone who'd just played through four quarters of grueling basketball.
Except it was only the first quarter. It was a clear a sign of being under the weather for Murray, who was listed as questionable earlier in the day due to an illness.
But that was the only time Murray showed any signs of weakness.
Murray ultimately gave it a go in the must-win game, and he looked sharp from the opening tipoff. He racked up 11 points in the first quarter on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.
Murray continued to deliver for Denver throughout the night despite not being at full strength. He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to help the Nuggets force a Game 7.
More: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be the next MVP, but can he be the face of the NBA his way?
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC was hindered by early foul trouble
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander held both hands up, desperate to show he meant no harm. But the damage was already done.
After turning the ball over with 1:30 left in the second quarter, the superstar guard quickly tried to grab it back from Nikola Jokic. He instead grabbed Jokic's forearm and was called for a foul.
His fourth foul, to be exact, which marked a playoff career high for a first half. That forced Gilgeous-Alexander to go to the bench, and Denver outscored OKC 9-3 throughout the rest of the quarter to trim the deficit to 61-58.
Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't the only Thunder player who was plagued by early foul trouble. Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein also committed three fouls apiece in the first half.
More: How OKC Thunder's Isaiah Hartenstein improved as Nikola Jokic's backup with Nuggets
Jalen Williams continued to struggle as he plays through nagging wrist injury
Jalen Williams attacked the rim on a fastbreak, determined to give OKC a jolt of energy.
The Thunder needed exactly that. It trailed 93-86 with 9:17 left in a game that was beginning to slip through its hands.
But the promising play didn't swing momentum in OKC's favor. Instead, Peyton Watson pinned Williams' layup to the backboard for an emphatic block that energized the home crowd at Ball Arena.
It was that kind of a night for Williams, who stuffed the stat sheet with 10 assists and seven rebounds but struggled to put the ball through the hoop. He scored six points on 3-for-16 shooting from the field (18.8%) and 0-for-4 shooting from deep.
Williams' scoring production has been inconsistent throughout this series as he continues to play through a nagging wrist injury. He's averaging 16.5 points on 33.7% shooting from the field and 21.2% shooting from deep.
More: How Jalen Williams fought through nagging wrist injury to lift OKC Thunder past Nuggets
It's hard to close out champions
Murray didn't smile much during his postgame press conference on Tuesday.
That's understandable, considering Denver had just suffered a 112-105 road loss in Game 5. The narrow defeat placed the Nuggets in a 3-2 series hole, on the brink of elimination.
But Murray did smile for a brief moment. It happened when a reporter asked how confident he was that Denver would be back in Oklahoma City for a Game 7 on Sunday.
"Very confident," Murray quickly answered. "I always am."
Murray was right.
Denver handled its business at home in Game 6. The 2023 champs evened the series at 3-3, sending it back to OKC for Game 7.
Jokic led the Nuggets with 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 32 points and six assists, while Chet Holmgren chipped in 19 points and 11 boards.
OKC is 2-2 all-time in Game 7s. Its last one was against Houston in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
Then-rookie guard Lu Dort scored a game-high 30 points in the 104-102 loss. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points and four assists.
More: How OKC Thunder went from rebuilder to NBA playoff contender in dizzying speed
Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @JTheSportsDude. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder can't close out Nuggets to force Game 7 in NBA Playoffs
Continue reading...
