Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops bomb about Game 7 vs. Nuggets

The Thunder has looked more at ease playing on its home court throughout the series. Despite dropping Game 1, Oklahoma City held the lead for nearly three quarters. Game 2 was a dominant showing, with the Thunder controlling the game from start to finish and building a lead as large as 49 points. In Game 5, they closed strong, outscoring the Nuggets 34-19 in the final quarter.

At home in this series, the Thunder is shooting an impressive 49.1% from the field and 39.8% from three-point range. On the road, those numbers dip significantly to 42.3% overall and just 25.7% from deep. Still, everything changes in a Game 7 — where the stakes are higher and past trends often mean little.

OKC’s last Game 7 took place in the Orlando bubble — and while that Thunder roster looked nothing like today’s squad, the chaos of that game still serves as a warning. The Rockets escaped with a win not because of James Harden’s offense, but his defense. Luguentz Dort, surprisingly, led all scorers.

There’s encouraging news for the Thunder as two current players were part of that bubble Game 7 experience. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort played significant roles in that matchup and came away with valuable experience. It may have taken place in the bubble, but the stakes and pressure were just as intense.

During the regular season, the Thunder and Nuggets each won two games against one another, including splitting a back-to-back series in Oklahoma City.

The winner of Sunday’s Game 7 in Oklahoma City will advance to the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. But neither Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander’s going to back down, with the game tipping off at 3:30 p.m. EST.