OKC Thunder Fizzle Out, Lose Game 6 to Denver on the Road

For the first time in the Western Conference semifinals, one of the two teams had a chance to advance. The Oklahoma City Thunder went into the game against the Denver Nuggets on the road with a 3-2 lead and left having to play another, losing 119-107.

Both squads got out to hot starts on offense, including Denver with guard Jamal Murray. He scored nine of the team's first 18 points despite entering the game with an unknown illness, with his playing time and endurance in question. He helped give the Nuggets an eight-point early lead.

Murray never showed any signs of being sick, finishing the game with 25 points on 9-for-19 shooting. He was by far the largest offensive presence for the Nuggets all night, as well as the most consistent.

Turnovers were an early issue for the Thunder and appeared throughout the whole game. They turned the ball over five times in the first quarter, which turned into 11 by the game's end. On the flip side of that, they forced 14 and scored 17 points off of those.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't get going right away, only scoring three points to open the game. He got going early in the second despite appearing to feel pain in his right hand, but was still surprisingly quiet.

Well-rounded scoring was a theme for both teams in the first half, with one double-digit scorer apiece. It was Cason Wallace off the bench for the Thunder, while Murray led the show for the Nuggets.

Wallace was impressive for OKC, finishing the game with 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting. He also recorded four rebounds and three steals, making his presence felt everywhere. His energy was also top-notch, especially when things appeared stagnant.

What started as an ugly first quarter with their star player struggling ended with Gilgeous-Alexander getting hot and the Thunder getting in front by the end of the second. The caveat to that was Gilgeous-Alexander getting in foul trouble, picking up four fouls by the end of the half.

Gilgeous-Alexander eventually found his footing, finishing with 32 points on 11-for-16 shooting. He went 8-for-11 from the free-throw line as well, which helped him get going when he started out quiet.

The opening parts of the third quarter featured more back-and-forth scoring, with neither defense showing much resistance. Denver threw a zone concept at OKC to make them take more perimeter shots, but they managed to penetrate it easily and find center Isaiah Hartenstein for six points worth of dunks down low. On the other end, Murray continued to get his own buckets in isolation situations.

It was very clear that the intensity of the game was ramped up to start the second half. Outside of the opening minutes, the defense was more intense and physical and shots were harder to knock down..

Despite Nikola Jokic and Murray having their usual high-output scoring games, Christian Braun was a constant offensive sparkplug for Denver. He finished the game with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists on 8-for-14 shooting.

The start of the fourth quarter was all Denver. 10 points from bench wing Julian Strawther at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth helped elevate what was a tied game to a 10-point Nugget lead, all without Jokic sitting on the bench. The Thunder were now in a nerve-wracking hole as time waned off the clock down the stretch.

There was no recovering from the Nuggets' late run and Oklahoma City going ice cold from the perimeter didn't help. Gilgeous-Alexander didn't receive much help from his supporting cast, which also made a difference.

Game 7 will head back to Oklahoma City to determine who advances to the Western Conference finals. The game tips off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 18.