Jokic, about G7, the series tie-break, really came as promised.
The battle between the Nuggets and the Thunder proved that basketball is not a one-man game, and today's G6, the Nuggets in the battle of life and death also proved that if there is one more person to play, the game situation will be completely different.
Jokic is not a superman, and he will definitely not be able to play a performance like 44 points in Tianwangshan, but as long as he is on the court, he has the strongest influence, and under the influence of Jokic, the rest of the Nuggets, especially Strausser, stepped up.
Murray was sick before the game today, although he scored a 3+1 in the opening game, and scored 11 points in the first quarter, but when he was substituted, Murray was uncomfortable like drinking a night of heavy wine and had a headache the next day. Sick is really sick, but today Murray was playing like Jordan's flu battle on the court.
Murray had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the whole game, with an astonishing plus/minus of +28, and the Nuggets ranked second with a plus/minus of +17, so it can be said that as long as Murray is on the court, he can win points. Compared to Jokic, Murray's play today is the basic set for the Nuggets to win the game.
Of course, the sixth game of the series was played, and both sides were in a state of open cards, whether it was Murray's play or Jokic's outburst, they were all within the Thunder's plan. According to the script of the previous two games, no matter how magical Murray and Jokic were in the first three quarters, they would definitely encounter physical problems in the fourth quarter, and then be taken away by the fire.
But today the unexpected happened, and Strausser was a factor outside of this plan. In the first half, Strauser played five minutes without scoring a point, and at best he was a sapper role to fill the rotation. But when the game was tied at 80, Strawther's eight straight points changed everything.
Strausser received a pass from Murray and hit a three-point shot at the top of the arc, 83-80, Murray converted to an offensive and hit a strong shot, 85-80, Strausser in ambush in the bottom corner received a pass from Murray again and hit a three-point shot, 88-80, and Strauser slipped to the bottom line and hit a layup, 90-80.
This wave of 10-0 was a wave of offensive that changed the game, and the Nuggets took the lead until the end of the game. In the final quarter, the time period when Jokic was not on the court should have been the last chance for the Thunder, but the Thunder sent a short lineup without center after playing for more than a minute, Carson, Wiggins, Alexander, Jalen, Caruso, and then lost the rebound.
After Jokic returned and scored five points in a row, the suspense of the game ended. The Nuggets finally held on to the fourth quarter without a physical breakdown. In the moment of life and death, you can even feel that the Nuggets' physical fitness is a little better than that of the Thunder.
After scoring eight points in the third quarter, Strauser scored seven more points in the final quarter and hit another three-pointer after being released. Strawther's three three-pointers today were all punishments for the Thunder's defensive strategy, which was too critical for the Nuggets.
Julian Strausser is from the elite Gonzaga, and he also hit a quasi-shooter in the crazy three, a famous forward shooter in college, who played three years in college and was still selected with the 29th pick in the first round, and the Nuggets selected him in the hope that he can become a shooter like Porter Jr. But in the past two years, Strausser has had few chances, and finally made a name for himself today.
In addition to Strausser, a round of applause had to be given to the 23-player Roun, who also contributed a surprising 3-of-6 three-pointer. He had both baskets blocked in the first half, but his two three-pointers just before halftime pulled the Nuggets back from a 12-point deficit.
Porter Jr.'s shoulder injury still looks like he's still having a big impact, and some of his moves are deformed, but he still made two three-pointers today, and every three-pointer is precious to the Nuggets. Regardless of the outcome of this series, I'm going to have a lot of respect for Porter Jr., who came out injured.
The Nuggets are one such team, Jokic has a low win rate in games where they tend to win, but everyone else can step up and contribute, and even if Jokic can't finish a 30-point night, they are still one of the best teams in the league.
Jokic's eight assists today are a series high, and the Nuggets are finally playing the team basketball they want and getting on track in the season's do-or-die battle. However, Gordon's strain at the last moment paved the haze for the Nuggets' tie-break, the Nuggets' basketball has one more person to save lives, but losing one person is also fatal, and Gordon's position is really no one can replace it.
For the Thunder, Alexander's four fouls in two quarters and Jalen's six-point play on 16-shot shooting were both reasons for the loss. This round of tie-breaking is also the first time that the Thunder and these young men have faced such a situation in their careers.
And for Jokic, this is already his seventh tie-break, he just won the first-round tie-break against the Clippers, and the tie-break has always been with Jokic in recent years, and he has always won more and lost less. However, last year, also in the second round of tie-breaks, Jokic lost to a young man who is now waiting for him on the stage of the Western Conference finals.
Finally, I would like to ask, when will the MVP trophy be awarded?