Christian Braun stepped into the spotlight Saturday night, and for the Denver Nuggets guard, the emotions ran far deeper than the scoreboard.
Following Denver’s 120-101 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7, Braun acknowledged how last year’s playoff exit shaped his mindset heading into this postseason.
“That’s exactly what we wanted,” Braun said postgame. “It’s the exact moment I wanted.”
The 24-year-old guard, who contributed a career-playoff-high 21 points along with five rebounds and four assists, reflected on his personal journey since Denver’s 2024 second-round collapse against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Obviously they were the better team that night, but I just felt like there was opportunity left on the table,” Braun said about last year’s Game 7. “I wanted to be more—and everybody wants to play more—but I just thought in that game I was playing well and wanted to play more minutes.”
He credited the coaching staff and teammates for trusting him in a high-stakes moment and said Saturday’s win felt like long-awaited validation.
On the defensive end, Braun played a key role in limiting James Harden to just seven points, and he gave credit to the help behind him.
“I couldn’t pressure him how I wanted to… if I didn’t have guys behind me that were flying around,” Braun said. “Yoke was great at the rim all series. Mike was flying around… but maybe the biggest part was Russ.”
Braun detailed how veteran Russell Westbrook mentored him throughout the series, especially in preparing to guard Harden.
“He knows a lot of the Clipper sets more than anybody,” Braun said. “When I did listen to what he was saying, a lot of things that he was saying did happen. So he was great.”
Braun also addressed his confident outside shooting in the win, explaining that it was a result of preparation and belief in his role.
“I need to hit open shots,” Braun said. “Didn’t do it early in the series… I just trusted the work. That’s kind of who I’ve been all year.”
The third-year guard showed no hesitation from beyond the arc and played extended minutes in Denver’s most dominant playoff win since winning the 2023 title.
Asked about Nikola Jokic’s MVP candidacy, Braun didn’t hesitate to support his teammate.
“I think that Nikola had maybe the greatest season ever,” Braun said. “I don’t know if you’ll ever see a player do what he did again in one singular regular season.”
He emphasized that Jokic’s consistency transcends accolades.
“It doesn’t matter what game—he’s going to approach this Game 7 the same way he approached Game 23 of the regular season,” Braun said. “He’s not worried about the individual stuff. He wants to win.”
As for what’s next, Braun expressed high respect for the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of their second-round matchup.
“They’re a great team… disciplined, really well-coached,” he said. “But we’re a great team. I know that we’re going to be prepared.”
