NBA playoffs: What’s next for teams after early first round exits?
Here’s what the teams who lost in the first-round of the playoffs should do, in five words or less.
With Jamal Murry ill, Michael Porter Jr. hurt and their season on the line, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 119–107 in Game 6 Thursday, forcing a Game 7 in the NBA playoffs Western Conference semifinals series.
Denver dominated the second half of a wild, frenetic game.
Murray went to bed Wednesday ill, woke up feeling worse and received medicine and fluids from the team’s medical staff. He didn’t participate in his normal pregame routine but fought through the illness, scoring 11 of his 25 points in the first quarter.
Porter, who has a shoulder injury that normally sidelines a player for multiple weeks, had 10 points.
And the Nuggets, the 2023 champions, don’t get to play another game without the performance of MVP finalist Nikola Jokic who gathered 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Christian Braun added 23 points, and Julian Strawther, who hadn’t scored more than nine points in a playoff game this season, delivered 15 points, all in the second half, for the Nuggets.
The Thunder struggled offensively in the second half after scoring 61 points in the first half. In the final two quarters, Oklahoma City scored 46 points and was 19-for-50 from the field.
Thunder MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 32 points, and big man Chet Holmgren had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Game 7 is Sunday in Oklahoma City (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Pressure is on the Thunder who are the top seed in the West for the second consecutive season after winning a franchise-record 68 games this season. They lost in last year’s conference semifinals and were favored to reach the conference finals.
Home teams win Game 7 of a best-of-seven series 73.9% of the time (113-40). But in the past few seasons, it’s common for a road team to win Game 7. Golden State did it in the first round against Houston this season, and it happened twice in 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021. Denver won Game 7 at home in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers this season.
Catch up on all the highlights from Game 6:
The Nuggets are 12 minutes away from forcing Game 7. Denver has a 90-82 lead over the Thunder heading into the fourth quarter. Denver’s Julian Strawther was explosive off the bench and scored all eight of his points in the third quarter, including a pair of threes. Jamal Murray added 22 points and Nikola Jokic already has a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is up to 24 points for Oklahoma City despite playing with four fouls. Chet Holmgren also has a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort hit a 23-foot three as time expired in the second quarter to give the Thunder a 61-58 lead heading into halftime. Dort’s shot ended the Nuggets 12-0 run to close the quarter. The big storyline coming out of the first half, however, is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul trouble. Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul with 1:29 remaining in the first half and immediately checked out of the game with a team-high 14 points. It marks the first time since October 2022 that he’s racked up four personal fouls in the first half. He’s not the only one: Isaiah Hartenstein (2 pts) and Jaylin Williams (8 pts) each have three fouls, while Jalen Williams (6 pts) has two. One the bright side, Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t fouled out so far this year.
Meanwhile, Christian Braun leads the Nuggets with 15 points, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from three. He also has four rebounds, three assists and three steals through two quarters. Jamal Murray added 13 points, while Nikola Jokic is on double double watch with 12 points and seven rebounds.
Despite surrendering five turnovers in the first quarter and trailing the Nuggets by as many as 10 points, the Thunder are within three points of Denver entering the second quarter, 31-28. The Nuggets shot 54.5% from the field and 4-of-11 from three, led by Jamal Murray, who scored a game-high 11 points despite dealing with illness. The Thunder are shooting an identical 54.5% from the field, in addition to 3-of-10 from three. Lu Dort leads the Thunder with five points.
Jamal Murray may not be feeling so hot, but he’s off to a scorching start in the Nuggets’ do-or-die Game 6 against the Thunder. Murray opened the contest with a four-point play after being fouled on a three-point shot by Isaiah Hartenstein. He has a game-high nine points through the opening six minutes of play. Denver went on a 7-0 run to extend its lead to 18-12 with 6:32 remaining in the first quarter after the Nuggets intercepted and scored on consecutive bad passes from Oklahoma City’s Luguentz Dort and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, respectively.
JAMAL MURRAY ILLNESS: Nuggets guard available for Game 6 vs. Thunder
Denver is sticking with the same starting lineup it has used throughout the entire 2025 NBA playoffs. Guard Jamal Murray was listed as questionable on the Nuggets’ injury report due to an illness, but he’s giving it a go:
- Jamal Murray, G
- Christian Braun, G
- Michael Porter Jr., F
- Aaron Gordon, F
- Nikola Jokic, C
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
What time is Nuggets vs. Thunder Game 6?
Game 6 between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder will tip off around 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 15 at the Ball Arena in Denver.
How to watch Nuggets vs. Thunder Game 6: TV, stream
Stream: Sling TVNuggets vs. Thunder NBA playoff schedule, results
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ball Arena (Denver)
TV: ESPN
Nuggets vs. Thunder NBA playoff schedule, results
(All times ET. Series tied 3-3)
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