Game 7 Showdown: Which Unexpected Twist Will Define Nuggets vs. Thunder’s Epic Finale?

The basketball world is about to stop, if only for a moment, because Sunday’s Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets isn’t just another playoff contest — it’s the final puzzle piece that decides the NBA champion. These two teams have carved a brutal, beautiful path through the postseason, showcasing why they’re the cream of the crop, head-to-head in what’s been the absolute best series so far. Sure, the Thunder’s +32 series differential looks eye-popping, but peel back the layers — forget the Game 2 blowout — and this matchup tightens to a slim Nuggets +11 edge. Denver’s got an arsenal of offensive options that coach David Adelman trusts night in, night out, but Oklahoma City’s depth and formidable defense keep tipping the scales in an epic tug-of-war.

So, as the spotlight sets on Game 7, the stakes couldn’t be higher — and the intrigue couldn’t run deeper. Here’s my take on the top five elements you need to watch for as these titans collide live on ABC at 3:30 ET this Sunday.

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If the Thunder defense performs to its potential, the Thunder will take Game 7 and advance.
The safest bet on the board is whichever team’s role players step up will win.

Oklahoma City fell to Dallas in the second round a year ago partly because Jalen Williams was not ready to step up and be the No. 2 option this team needed.

MVP Face-Off

Williams is an All-Star, and the Thunder will offer a five-year max contract extension this summer, but this is where that money is really earned. He needs to step up and be that guy. If he — and Chet Holmgren as well — can’t be the running mates Gilgous-Alexander needs, it means Sam Presti has some hard decisions coming up.In this series, here are the Thunder’s defensive ratings in each of the last four games: 99.8, 92.1, 107.3, 116.5. Jokic’s high-IQ mind tends to figure teams out over the course of seven games. Has that happened here? As great and athletic as the Thunder defense has been this season, has Jokic solved the puzzle? He’s making the right passes, he has found his counters to OKC’s adjustments. Or, do the Thunder — likely behind more minutes from Alex Caruso, who has been fantastic this series — have one more game of stops in them.As noted above, Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander have lived up to the billing. The question game-to-game is which team’s role players step up and provide enough help to their star. With everyone tight in Game 7, that becomes an even bigger question. Does Christian Braun have a big game because he’s been there before and handles the moment? Is this a good Williams and Holmgren game for the Thunder? Is this another Julian Strawther game?With just a couple of minutes left in Game 6, Aaron Gordon seemed to tweak his hamstring. He was moving more slowly, rubbing it, then subbed himself out of the game with less than a minute to go.

Aaron Gordon’s hamstring

That is a huge blow. In this series, Gordon has averaged 14.5 points and 9.2 assists a game, shooting 45.2% from 3, and he hit the game-winner in Game 1 of this series.In the regular season, Oklahoma City had a 107.6 defensive rating, the best in the league (using Basketball-Reference’s numbers). In the first round against Memphis, the Thunder had a defensive rating of 99.6, allowing less than a point per possession.Oklahoma City and Denver have been the two best teams in the NBA this postseason, going head to head in what has been the best series of the playoffs. While the Thunder are +32 for the series, remove the Game 2 blowout from the mix and it is Nuggets +11. Denver has shown more offensive weapons that coach David Adelman can trust night-to-night, but the Thunder are deeper and have the better defense.This is the real story of the series.

Which Jalen Williams shows up?

This year… it’s too much of the same. Williams had 32 points on 21 shots in Game 3 (an OKC loss), but in the last three games Williams has shot 2-of-13, 5-of-14 and 3-of-16, a combined 23.3%. That will not be good enough in Game 7.Nuggets W
Thunder W
Nuggets W
Thunder W
Thunder W
Nuggets WBasketball doesn’t get better than this. Savor it.

Which MVP gets help?

The BEST MOMENTS from a wild back-and-forth series before Game 7 tomorrow at 3:30pm/et on ABC 🔥⤵️ pic.twitter.com/PgWGiJdolPThe two leading MVP candidates — the league has delayed handing out the actual hardware until this series ends — have lived up to the billing this series: Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists a game, adding 1.3 steals into the mix; Jokic is averaging 29.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2 steals a game.These might be the two best basketball players walking the face of the earth right now (at worst, they are both top three), and they are living up to the billing. Enjoy one last game between these two.

What about Thunder defense?

Nikola Jokic vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.It’s this simple for me: The winner of this game will win the NBA championship.Here are the five things to watch in Game 7 between these teams on Sunday (3:30 ET on ABC).