BBNBA Game 7 Preview: Can SGA, Thunder take down Murray, Nuggets?

Queue the Zaza Pachulia music — we’ve got ourselves a Game 7, baby!

And it should be a great one. The top-seeded and 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder host the four-seeded Denver Nuggets this afternoon with the final spot in the Western Confernce Finals on the line. After six games saw both sides win three apiece, it all comes down to today’s one-game series in OKC.

Even if you’re not an NBA fan, this is going to be must-watch hoop.

That’s especially true if you’re a member of the Big Blue Nation. We’ll have a trio of former Kentucky Wildcats taking the hardwood later on, led by the Thunder’s MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been excellent in nearly every area for OKC so far this series. SGA is averaging 28.8 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and 1.3 steals per outing against Denver. The three-point shot hasn’t been there (just 26.9 percent), but he’s making his twos and relentlessly getting to the line, all while playing great defense on the other end. A big game from Jalen Williams, SGA’s struggling co-star, would go a long way for this young Thunder group.

Oklahoma City hasn’t been to the Conference Finals since the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook era back in 2016. Gilgeous-Alexander has them on the cusp of getting there once again. But to make it happen, the presumed MVP runner-up, Nikola Jokic, and his Kentucky sidekick, Jamal Murray, stand in the way. This is the second straight Game 7 for Denver, which also needed seven games to get past the Los Angeles Clippers last round.

Remember, the Nuggets fired their head coach right before the regular season came to a close. But this is a group with championship pedigree, having won the NBA Finals in 2023 with Jokic and Murray running the show. The moment won’t be too big for either.

Murray, who has been battling a sickness the last few days but is expected to take the floor today, has been good in this series, but not to Playoff Murray levels we’ve seen over the years. Even still, he’s posting per-game averages of 22 points, five rebounds, five assists, and one steal per game against the Thunder. When Murray scores 20 or more points, Denver typically wins. They’ll need a masterclass from him today to sneak this one out, especially with Aaron Gordon, a necessary role player for the Nuggets these playoffs, out due to a hamstring injury.

We can’t forget to mention Cason Wallace, either. Coming off the bench for OKC, Wallace has been a necessary piece to the Thunder’s success, not only this postseason, but all season long. He’s one of the handful of incredible on-ball defenders in the OKC backcourt and is commanding significant chunks of playing time at a key point in the season. The second-year guard is averaging 6.3 points, three rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 assists per contest while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.

Regardless of how this game ends, we’ll have at least one more Kentucky alum playing in the Conference Finals. The likes of Karl-Anthony Towns (NYK), Julius Randle (MIN), and Rob Dillingham (MIN) have already locked up their spots. Who will join them? OKC is viewed as an 8.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel. Tipoff for Game 7 is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.