Jamal Murray, battling illness, delivered 25 points as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 119-107 on Thursday night to tie their Western Conference Semifinals series 3-3.
Murray opened the night with a four-point play and nailed a step-back three early in the fourth quarter, pushing Denver’s lead into double digits for good.
Nikola Jokic led all scorers with 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, anchoring a Nuggets squad that finally found breathing room in a tightly contested series.
Christian Braun added 23 points and 11 rebounds while reserve guard Julian Strawther chipped in a career-playoff-high 15 points, all after halftime.
Strawther’s scoring burst came during a 10-0 third-quarter run that broke the game open, including two threes and a transition layup.
Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting, but lacked support from the rest of the rotation.
Jalen Williams struggled, scoring just six points on 3-of-16 from the field and missing all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Denver out-rebounded Oklahoma City 52-40 and knocked down 12 three-pointers on 37.5% shooting from deep, while also converting 84.4% of their free throws.
Gordon, who left the court clutching his hamstring late in the game, said he expects to be ready for Game 7 on Sunday.
The Thunder, who led the league with a 68-14 record during the regular season, now face their first elimination game of the playoffs.
Denver, winners of the 2023 NBA title, have played every other day since April 29 and will get their first two-day break before the deciding contest.
The winner will advance to face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who eliminated the Golden State Warriors in five games.
Tip-off for Game 7 is scheduled for Sunday at Paycom Center, where Oklahoma City will attempt to avoid their first back-to-back losses since early April.
