Jamal Murray battled through an illness and delivered big-time. Nikola Jokic fell two assists shy of a triple-double.
Even Christian Braun stepped up to record his playoff career-high in points.
But this particular contest will go down in the Denver Nuggets’ lore as the Julian Strawther Game.
“He was amazing,” Jokic said of Strawther in the aftermath of the Nuggets’ 111-102 victory over the Thunder to force a sudden death Game 7 back in Oklahoma City.
[ALSO READ: Jamal Murray’s ‘flu game’ helps Nuggets force do-or-die Game 7 against Thunder]
The three-time MVP posted 29 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists while Murray, who was listed questionable in the pre-game, added 25.
Braun contributed 23 markers and 11 rebounds of his third career postseason double-double on top of five assists and three steals.
But there’s no question that Strawther single-handedly turned the tides for the Nuggets in Game 6 with their season on the line.
Julian Strawther stepped up BIG-TIME off the bench in the @nuggets Game 6 W 👏👏
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2025
🏀 15 PTS (all in the 2nd half)
🏀 3-4 3PM
🏀 20 MIN
Game 7: Sunday, 3:30pm/et, ABC
The second-year guard from Gonzaga ignited a critical closing rally in the third frame that swung the momentum in favor of Denver.
Strawther scored eight points as part of a 10-0 Nuggets spurt that turned a 80-all deadlock into a 90-80 lead entering the fourth frame. He finished with 15 points — all the second half — built on three triples in his 20-minute stint.
An 8-point burst from Julian Strawther has Denver up 8 heading into the 4th 😳
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 16, 2025
"Super happy, we all know what he's [Strawther] capable of... you can see how he can impact the game real quick, and in a high-pressure moment," Murray commented.
He added: “I really felt like his energy set the tone for us and we just built off that. The crowd got into it and it was just a snowball effect and we all played better after that.”
"Super happy, we all know what he's capable of... you can see how he can impact the game real quick, and in a high-pressure moment."
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2025
Murray on Julian Strawther's performance (15 PTS, 3 3PM) in the Game 6 win 🔥
Aside from the much-needed offensive boost, one thing stood out for Denver interim coach David Adelman on Strawther’s play.
“I thought he held water defensively. That was a big deal. You wanna keep an offensive player out there but they have to be able to handle their own defensively,” Adelman said.
Now for the second-straight round, the Nuggets will play in a win-or-go-home Game 7 with the winner facing the sixth seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Earlier, Denver booted the LA Clippers out at home in the opening round, but will have to do it again — this time on the road where OKC just lost 15 times in both regular season and the playoffs.
And for Jokic, the survivor of an already grueling and physical series will depend upon who will do the little things that mattered the most.
“Defense. Details. Box out. Turnovers. That will probably decide the winner," Jokic noted.
Nikola Jokic talks about how the little details will dictate the winner of Game 7...
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2025
Denver & OKC are 5-5 after 10 matchups this season 👀🍿 https://t.co/mhuc0N74C3
