Three Takeaways from the OKC Thunder's Game 7 Win to Advance to the Western Conference Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the Western Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon, defeating a hindered Denver Nuggets team 125-93.

An astounding comeback game for Jalen Williams, a masterful defensive performance from Alex Caruso and an all-around shutdown of the Nuggets offense led to this wide-gapped victory. The Thunder came to play in front of its home crowd and did so emphatically, drowning out the former NBA Champions and making a bold statement to the remaining squads in the playoffs.

Let's go over those three takeaways from Sunday afternoon's game:

JDub Answers the Call

Jalen Williams had a golden opportunity to showcase what he is made of in Game 7 on Sunday. A tough string of performances had doubt and criticism being thrown at him from a national level and within Oklahoma state lines, questioning if this could be the Thunder's second-best player on a title-winning team.

He silenced all of those doubts and critiques, taking over the game offensively alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, having a 24-point, seven-assist game on 10-of-17 shooting to prop up his plus-35 plus-minus.

Williams showed out, having an efficient and highly impactful game on both ends to help propel Oklahoma City into the conference finals.

Caruso Stands Tall

Alex Caruso could certainly be pointed at when discussing the MVP of Game 7.

He had such a massive hand in the Thunder's 16 steals, having three of his own and forcing a great amount of them for others. Caruso's peskiness added to Oklahoma City's defensive disruption immensely, ultimately forcing Denver to turn the ball over 23 times—leading to 37 points off turnovers for the Thunder, something they'd done all regular season.

On top of that, and likely much more surprising and impressive, Caruso assisted in shutting down Nikola Jokic. Denying entry passes, forcing Jokic to constantly move without the ball, keeping hands active at all times, Jokic had to work for all of his 20 points and nine rebounds—eventually only shooting nine times on the game.

Jokic had fell flat in Game 7, and it was Caruso who made him fall.

Fortified Defense, Matured Thunder Team

This Oklahoma City defense was masterful in the game, shutting down Jokic and Jamal Murray to a combined 33 points on 11-of-25 shooting.

As a team, the Nuggets wound up shooting under 40% from the field and just 22.2% from three—Oklahoma City smothered Denver following getting down by as much as 11 early on in the fourth quarter, showing growth and perseverance.

The Thunder have visibly matured throughout this series, and in perfect time to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday evening.

Oklahoma City needed this as a team, and they should be much more seasoned in the team's pursuit of an NBA title.