On Sunday afternoon, the Oklahoma City Thunder played their biggest game in a decade: a Game 7 bout with the Denver Nuggets.
Denver threw the first punch, but the Thunder would throw the last, coasting to an essential blowout win on their home turf to advance to the Western Conference Finals and a meeting with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, with Oklahoma City seeing an offensive burst from Jalen Williams to head into the break up 14. The second half was even more Thunder-centric, with players like Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and more playing stingy defense that turned to offense.
Here's how X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to Game 7:
Getting us started for Game 7 ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/rdTq2NAecr
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 18, 2025
Starting #MileHighPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/za1ThM1w45
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 18, 2025
MR NUGGET WALKING OUT FOR WARMUPS pic.twitter.com/aWmbaAA6MQ
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) May 18, 2025
Christian Braun: not afraid of Game 7.
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) May 18, 2025
This is horrific. OKC not ready for the moment so far.
— Tayler Peterson (@Tayler_P15) May 18, 2025
How is Aaron Gordon doing this right now
— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) May 18, 2025
This is incredible
What an impressive effort from the Nuggets to start this game
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) May 18, 2025
The Thunder’s offense continues to struggle. This has been a very poor start to the game — good looks for the most part, but OKC can’t make shots.
— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) May 18, 2025
Long game, but ideal start for Denver and ... not ideal for OKC, who looks a little anxious.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) May 18, 2025
Miraculously, Thunder cut the lead down to just five heading into the second quarter.
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) May 18, 2025
Mark was hunting for some bench juice and found it in Aaron Wiggins, who's a +6 with two points, two assists, two rebounds, one steal and block apiece.
Cason Wallace one of the few players with confidence in that first quarter
— Tyranny (@MattTyranny) May 18, 2025
Mark better let him play 20-25 minutes today pic.twitter.com/SfJxwHXWie
Caruso is an insane person. What an unbelievable job fronting/harassing Jokic.
— Carson Breber (@Carsobi) May 18, 2025
There was maybe a bit more hesitation from some of OKC's guys than you'd like vs. the zone, but they got a lot of good shots in that quarter. Process was mostly good, just gotta shoot/finish better.
Jokic +5 in 12 minutes
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) May 18, 2025
Denver -8 in 90 seconds without him
OKC is doing a MUCH better job of being active on the glass and winning the hustle plays. Cleaning that up was always key.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) May 18, 2025
The Nuggets cannot leave Aaron Gordon to bring the ball up against Dort under any circumstance.
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) May 18, 2025
Jokic’s flopping is simply out of control.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) May 18, 2025
Thunder going really small here with Caruso playing center
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) May 18, 2025
Jokic is the ultimate flopper. Can't touch him
— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) May 18, 2025
The physicality in this game is crazy. What a battle.
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) May 18, 2025
Free throws attempted so far in Games 6 and 7 combined
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) May 18, 2025
Nuggets 46
Thunder 19
17 first-half points for Jalen Williams,
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) May 18, 2025
Quite the answer from him.
Hot take but not..
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 18, 2025
OKC fans are louder than Knick fans.
Happy Sunday!
OKC made 19 shots at the rim in the first half, tied for their second-most in any GAME this playoffs.
— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) May 18, 2025
OKC dunk count is now up to 10 https://t.co/62PjDb1U5r
— Paris Lawson (@ParisNLawson) May 18, 2025
The Nuggets are upset about what took place before that Jokic hit on SGA.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) May 18, 2025
"He fouled me four times," Gordon tells official Josh Tiven. "Get him the f*** off me."
Thunder have a 20-point lead early in the second half following a Jalen Williams jumper.
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) May 18, 2025
Shai step back 3 forces an Adelman timeout. Thunder ahead 69-46. He’s got 19-3-3. Jalen Williams has 19 on 13 shots. Seems this is the version of him y’all pleaded for.
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) May 18, 2025
OKC up big while just 6/22 from deep. Lot of interior presence.
The Thunder are outscoring the Nuggets 53-20 since the 1:03 mark in the 1st quarter.
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) May 18, 2025
You'd enjoy the games a lot more if you allowed yourself to pay attention to things other than the refs. Must be exhausting and miserable to watch games that way.
— Yaya Dubin (@JADubin5) May 18, 2025
Joker finally found his Batman. pic.twitter.com/NY5mY5Tc2q
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 18, 2025
Well ok Cason Wallace
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) May 18, 2025
Cason Wallace just posterized Nikola Jokic
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) May 18, 2025
My oh my
CASON WALLACE JUST PUNCHED IT ON JOKIC pic.twitter.com/RJSrt0BOye
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) May 18, 2025
It’s not enough for Cason Wallace to start. He needs to be getting 30 minutes a night.
— Alex (@AlexHoops_) May 18, 2025
Caso said it's HAMMER TIME pic.twitter.com/Ehm0ahAZKv
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 18, 2025
Murray has been a rough watch today
— Dime Dropper (@DimeDropperPod) May 18, 2025
Jokic has been a rough watch today
MPJ has been a rough watch today
Ok better? https://t.co/97oogQtaU5
THE MVP MAKES IT A 30 POINT LEAD
— (@Three_Cone) May 18, 2025
If Alex Caruso EVER plays for another team that is not the Thunder I will literally never watch the sport of basketball again.
— Cooper Jones (@CooperJNBA) May 18, 2025
Nuggets throw in the towel. It's Pickett/Strawther/Watson/Tyson/Nnaji out of the timeout. Thunder up 32 with 9:36 to go.
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) May 18, 2025
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In preparation for the 2025 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been actively fine-tuning their roster, making a flurry of moves ahead of training camp. Among their latest decisions, the team signed four emerging prospects —RJ Davis, Eric Dixon, Arthur Kaluma, and Augustas Marciulionis —to Exhibit 10 contracts. These deals are typically used to bring young talent into training camp with the potential to develop further within the organization, often leading to G League opportunities or two-way contracts. RJ Davis headlines the group. The 6-foot guard spent five seasons at the University of North Carolina (2020–25), where he appeared in 175 games (155 starts) and averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game over his collegiate career. In his final season, he averaged 17.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists across 37 games, earning All-ACC Second Team honors. In 2024, Davis was named ACC Player of the Year and received the prestigious Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard. Davis also played in the 2025 Summer League for the Lakers, averaging 8.0 points per game in Las Vegas, including a 17-point performance in the finale against the Denver Nuggets. Eric Dixon, a 6-foot-8 forward from Villanova, arrives after a dominant 2024–25 season in which he led the NCAA with 23.3 points per game. He added 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest while shooting 45.1% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. Dixon ended his collegiate career as Villanova’s all-time leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds over 162 games (141 starts). Though initially reported to have signed a two-way deal with the Lakers, an undisclosed leg injury sidelined him during Summer League and left the contract unfinalized. Nonetheless, Dixon is a strong candidate for the Lakers’ third and final two-way contract, with the other two already awarded to Christian Koloko and Chris Mańon. Arthur Kaluma, a 6-foot-7 forward, brings versatility after playing four collegiate seasons across Creighton, Kansas State, and Texas. In his final year at Texas (2024–25), he averaged 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 29.3 minutes per game. Across 134 total games (131 starts), Kaluma averaged 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. Kaluma participated in the 2025 Summer League, logging 4.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game over four appearances. Augustas Marciulionis, a 6-foot-4 Lithuanian guard, completed four seasons at Saint Mary’s College (2021–25), where he was a back-to-back WCC Player of the Year (2024, 2025). In his final season, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 34.8 minutes across 35 games. Overall, Marciulionis posted career averages of 8.9 points and 3.7 assists over 138 games. Although he was unable to participate in the Summer League due to injury, his playmaking skills and collegiate awards make him a worthy addition. These additions come on the heels of LA’s headline move, signing former No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton as their starting center, a move that points to the Lakers’ strategy of integrating high-profile talent with promising young players.
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
The Cleveland Guardians are quite a mystery heading into the MLB trade deadline, as no one seems to know whether they will buy, sell or possibly even do nothing before July 31. The Guardians are hovering around .500, but they are still smack dab in the middle of the American League Wild Card race. That's in spite of losing 10 straight just before the All-Star break. Even with Cleveland remaining in contention, there are some who believe the Guardians might sell given their conservative nature, but talk show host Bruce Drennan has provided some rather bad news for the team in that regard: the players they might want to move don't have much value. “No top prospects for a big bat, and I don’t necessarily see us selling players, like Carlos Santana or Lane Thomas. What can you get in return?” Drennan said. Drennan has a point. Santana and Thomas are both impending free agents, and neither has been all that good this season. Santana owns a .665 OPS, and Thomas has been on and off the injured list while hitting just .160 on the year. Of course, the Guardians would surely be able to land a hefty return for players like Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase, but it does not seem like Cleveland is going to move either of those two stars. Perhaps the Guardians will surprise some people and go all in by adding pieces at the deadline, but that isn't exactly in their nature. We'll see what happens before the end of the months, but it stands to reason that Cleveland might just stand pat, as Drennan anticipates. Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage