Three stars from Sunday's Thunder-Nuggets Game 7

Overall, Gilgeous-Alexander scored seven points in a 9-0 run to open the second half that forced a timeout and took the fight out of the Nuggets. After that, Jokic took only one more shot in the quarter and the desperate Nuggets put up 14 threes, making only three.

If this second-round series was a referendum on the regular-season MVP race, Gilgeous-Alexander acquitted himself spectacularly. His team has to be considered a big favorite for another trophy, too: The Larry O'Brien.

Oklahoma City thunder forward Jalen Williams | 24 points, five rebounds, seven assists

The box score numbers don't do justice to the damage Williams did against the Nuggets Sunday, but his plus/minus of +35 in 33 minutes indicates what a force he was in Game 7. Williams had a disappointing 3-for-16 shooting performance in OKC's Game 6 loss, but he made up for that and more in Game 7.

Game 7 turned in the second quarter, when the Thunder outscored the Nuggets, 39-20. Williams was a force, scoring 17 points and delivering two assists and sitting for only a 1:13 stretch  — in which his team was scoreless. In the final 2:18 before halftime, Williams scored 11 points, picked Jokic's pocket and assisted on a Gilgeous-Alexander three, part of a back-breaking 16-5 run.

Williams may have been inconsistent in this second-round series, but when he's good he is very, very good. For a Thunder team that thrives on knocking teams out with big scoring runs, Williams may be the player who throws the biggest punches.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso | 11 points, three steals, +40

Special mention should go to second-year guard Cason Wallace, who delivered 29 minutes of stifling defense for the Thunder, playing ahead of Lu Dort in small-ball lineups and providing five assists and two steals in a +38 effort. Denver also got a heroic 25 minutes from Aaron Gordon, who improbably collected 11 rebounds and scored eight points despite a Grade 2 hamstring sprain, an injury that usually requires over a month of recovery time.

But Alex Caruso was a true game-changer in Game 7. The Thunder thrived using lineups with center Isaiah Hartenstein on the bench thanks to Caruso's ability to guard Jokic. Yes, Jokic occasionally backed Caruso down for scores, and Caruso may have gotten away with some uncalled fouls, but the 6-foot-5 All-Defensive Team guard managed to slow down the three-time MVP one-on-one despite giving up nearly 100 pounds to the Joker.

Thanks to Caruso's tough ball pressure, the Nuggets often ran out much of the shot clock well behind the three-point line, a big reason Jokic had five turnovers. On offense, Caruso picked his spots, shooting 5-for-7 and repeatedly moving the ball against tired Denver defenders for easy shots.

The Thunder signed Hartenstein last summer in a move that seemed designed to defend against elite big men like Jokic. But it was trading Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls for Caruso that turned out to be the biggest move for stopping Jokic. 

Next, Caruso will move on to Anthony Edwards, or Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert. At this point, Caruso has shown he can guard anyone.