- 10 months ago
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00:00:00MVP! MVP!
00:00:03SGA, he's my MVP.
00:00:05Jokic looking for his fourth MVP.
00:00:16I think this is the best basketball of my life.
00:00:18He's too humble to say it, but this is the MVP right here.
00:00:20It's an honor to be in the conversation in itself.
00:00:24These MVP candidates, they've come to play.
00:00:28Despite facing the top defense in the NBA,
00:00:30Nikoli Jokic still averaging 30 points,
00:00:32nearly 15 rebounds, 5 assists this series.
00:00:35SGA doing his part as well, averaging over 28 points
00:00:38along with almost 8 rebounds and over 7 assists.
00:00:46I don't know what to expect from Jokic,
00:00:48but I do know that I need to be prepared for something
00:00:51absolutely absurd.
00:00:53Case in point, Game 5.
00:00:55Look at this.
00:00:58I mean...
00:01:00Come on.
00:01:14The Sombor shuffle is an incredibly difficult shot.
00:01:17One where Jokic shoots a step-back jumper
00:01:20with his right hand, but he's going off his right foot.
00:01:23In his playoff career, he has made 38%
00:01:25of his Sombor shuffle attempts,
00:01:27while the average NBA player would have shot
00:01:29about 30% on those looks.
00:01:31And we've been spinning around all break long
00:01:33trying to figure out how he pivots
00:01:35off of his left foot to the right.
00:01:38I can't even...
00:01:39I can't...
00:01:40Nothing...
00:01:41I can't do anything that Jokic does, OK?
00:01:44Nothing.
00:01:45I can. I can ride a horse. That's about it.
00:01:47That's the most similarities I have.
00:01:49First of all, if I just took a regular...
00:01:51I can't even take a regular shot in my jacket right now.
00:01:53But this...
00:01:54He pivots here, pivots here,
00:01:56and then he's got a 7-whatever on him.
00:01:58Yes.
00:01:59And shoots it.
00:02:00I can't...
00:02:01You want to try?
00:02:02Here's what I wish we had.
00:02:03A picture of Chet Holmgren's face afterwards.
00:02:06Because when you play, guys make shots like that.
00:02:08Yeah.
00:02:09And you just go...
00:02:10Can I see that spin one more time?
00:02:11Yeah, let's check it out.
00:02:12I can do the spin.
00:02:13The spin is here.
00:02:14Show me!
00:02:15Look at that!
00:02:16That's how difficult...
00:02:17Because I have a jacket on,
00:02:19if I didn't have the jacket on,
00:02:21I can do all that stuff that Jokic does.
00:02:22No problem.
00:02:23Perk, you got it?
00:02:24I'll be Chet. I'll be Chet.
00:02:26I definitely don't have it.
00:02:28So, hold on. He's here.
00:02:29Yeah.
00:02:30And then he spins with the left.
00:02:32Plants the left.
00:02:33Yeah, that's the right...
00:02:34This is a pivot foot.
00:02:35Which one?
00:02:36The left foot's the pivot foot.
00:02:38Boom. Boom.
00:02:39And then jumps off here like that.
00:02:40So, hold on.
00:02:41That's your pivot foot.
00:02:42Yeah, yeah.
00:02:43Then he pushes off that one and shoots it.
00:02:44And then he pushes off his right foot.
00:02:45Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:02:46No, no, no.
00:02:47Now you're off your left.
00:02:48That's not what he did.
00:02:49That's not what he did.
00:02:50That's up close, too.
00:02:51Not what he did.
00:02:52That's up close, too.
00:02:53Even A, if you were in studio,
00:02:54could you get this done?
00:02:55No, he could not.
00:02:56Don't ask that question.
00:02:57It could happen.
00:02:58That's just how difficult it is.
00:02:59Well, my answer is yes,
00:03:00because there's no proof.
00:03:04We know he can throw out a first pitch, though.
00:03:06That's how difficult...
00:03:07We know he can do that.
00:03:08Yes, I can.
00:03:09That's how difficult it is.
00:03:10I can hit the free throws.
00:03:11That's true.
00:03:12This is the moment that it's all about.
00:03:15Michael Jokic having some family time
00:03:17right before the most important game of his season.
00:03:19There you see Jamal Murray.
00:03:20He's not feeling great, but he's giving it a go.
00:03:23NBA Countdown, back after this.
00:03:29NBA Countdown is presented by Hennessy.
00:03:32Made for more.
00:03:3421 plus only.
00:03:38Hey, Shea.
00:03:39What do you expect from a closeout game
00:03:40in Denver for Game 6?
00:03:42Their greatest punch.
00:03:45Jokic.
00:03:46Virilex.
00:03:47Tosses it up.
00:03:48Oh!
00:03:49Joker's wild!
00:03:51Come on, Shea.
00:03:52Give it to the David.
00:03:53Shea kills yourself.
00:03:54Alexander meeting the moment.
00:03:56We are ready for these moments.
00:03:57We're ready for these games,
00:03:58and we won't let go again.
00:03:59Welcome back to NBA Countdown,
00:04:02presented by Hennessy.
00:04:06It's time now for Pick and Roll,
00:04:07brought to you by ESPN BetSportsbook.
00:04:09Get in on the playoff action at ESPN BetSportsbook.
00:04:12And right now, new customers can get $100
00:04:14in bonus bets when you make your first $10 wager.
00:04:16Download the ESPN Bet app and sign up
00:04:18with the promo code PLAYOFFS to get started today.
00:04:22It is win or go home for the Denver Nuggets.
00:04:25Stephen A., I'm putting you on the spot first.
00:04:27Who you got?
00:04:30We're going to go with the Denver Nuggets.
00:04:31I think they're going to force a Game 7.
00:04:33I think Jokic is going to go berserk tonight.
00:04:36And I think somebody is going to step up and help him.
00:04:39It'll be a tight game.
00:04:41But ultimately, on their home court,
00:04:43that crowd will propel them, will energize them.
00:04:46They'll ride that adrenaline and momentum.
00:04:48And led by Jokic, of course, they will win this game
00:04:51and they will force a Game 7 back in Oklahoma City
00:04:54this weekend.
00:04:56Well, I want that to happen.
00:04:57I just don't think it will.
00:04:59I would love a Game 7.
00:05:00But Oklahoma City, I think in Game 5,
00:05:03they learned something about themselves.
00:05:05And they now have Denver wondering.
00:05:09I think Denver had a mental edge.
00:05:11And I did think they were going to win that game.
00:05:13But the way the Thunder closed that game,
00:05:15I think they grew a lot in that moment.
00:05:17And that's why I like them on the road here
00:05:19to finish the series.
00:05:21I've got to go on seven games.
00:05:23I have Denver winning this game tonight.
00:05:27Road players will play better.
00:05:28Russell Westbrook will play better off the bench.
00:05:31Christian Brown will give you some offensive production.
00:05:34Michael Porter Jr., he can't go anywhere but up.
00:05:37The last time he played at home,
00:05:39in Game 4, he was making and knocking down shots.
00:05:43I'm going with Denver tonight to force a Game 7.
00:05:46I would like you to be right, Stephen A. and Perk,
00:05:49because those are the two best words in sports, Game 7.
00:05:52But my gut is telling me this is the Thunder's moment
00:05:55to show that they are not that young, plucky squad anymore.
00:05:58They are a mature team that can get it done on the road.
00:06:01But the guy that's going to tell us that
00:06:03in the first couple of minutes of this game,
00:06:04all eyes are going to be on Jamal Murray,
00:06:06who came into this one questionable.
00:06:08But he's going to give it to go.
00:06:09It's time to get you to the Mile High City.
00:06:11Hey, Dave Pasch, take it away.
00:06:13This one's going to be fun.
00:06:15NBA Mountain, but failed to make it out of the second go.
00:06:18Denver climbed to the top of the NBA Mountain,
00:06:21but failed to make it out of the second round.
00:06:23Tonight, trailing Oklahoma City, three games to two.
00:06:27Welcome to NBA Courtside, presented by Pronamel.
00:06:31Game 6 will likely come down to the two MVP frontrunners,
00:06:35Nikola Jokic and Shea Gilgis-Alexander,
00:06:38as the Thunder look to advance
00:06:40to the Western Conference Finals to face Minnesota.
00:06:44It has mostly been a nail-biter of a series,
00:06:46starting with Aaron Gordon's Game 1 winner.
00:06:49Game 2 is the only blowout,
00:06:51with Oklahoma City winning easily
00:06:53before an overtime Game 3 victory
00:06:56for Denver to go up two games to one.
00:06:58But SGA stormed back,
00:07:00leading the Thunder to wins in Game 4 and Game 5
00:07:04to take a 3-2 series lead.
00:07:06And hi, everybody.
00:07:07Dave Pasch, Tim Legler, and Katie George.
00:07:10The Thunder won 68 games during the regular season,
00:07:13but, Tim, they were in real danger of dropping Game 5
00:07:16and going down three games to two.
00:07:18But legends are made in the fourth-quarter playoff games
00:07:22in this really young Thunder team
00:07:24made a huge move in a positive direction
00:07:27in terms of their maturation
00:07:28with how they came back in that game.
00:07:30If they didn't flip the script in Game 5,
00:07:33they were facing the prospect of getting closed out
00:07:36on the road tonight.
00:07:37Instead, this is what happened.
00:07:3932 points down the stretch, 10 of those by SGA,
00:07:43but 22 from his supporting cast.
00:07:45They got contributions up and down that roster.
00:07:48The Thunder depth came through in a big way
00:07:51in that fourth quarter.
00:07:52In elimination games, by the way,
00:07:54Nikola Jokic is 9-5,
00:07:56and Jokic was spectacular the other night.
00:07:58He's been great all series.
00:07:59This coming off one of the best offensive regular seasons
00:08:02in NBA history.
00:08:03It's hard to imagine him playing as well as he has
00:08:06throughout this series,
00:08:07but it may have to be better tonight to win this game.
00:08:10He's gonna have to do it again tonight
00:08:11and possibly again in a Game 7 if they get there.
00:08:14We know he's gonna put up big numbers.
00:08:16He's too important to Denver offensively.
00:08:18His usage rate will be off the charts.
00:08:20He typically comes through when they have to have him.
00:08:22For me, the big question is,
00:08:24can their supporting cast make some three-point shots?
00:08:27I think it is the single biggest factor in this game tonight
00:08:31to see if Denver can force this to a Game 7.
00:08:34Jokic has two triple doubles
00:08:36and averages 26 points per game
00:08:38in 14 previous elimination games.
00:08:41Tim mentioned the supporting cast.
00:08:44Obviously, the big story, the health of Jamal Murray.
00:08:47Will he go?
00:08:48With more on that, here's Katie.
00:08:49Well, Dave, the good news is Jamal Murray will play today
00:08:52after he was considered questionable due to an illness.
00:08:55Murray started feeling poorly late last night,
00:08:57figured he was just tired, so he went to bed.
00:09:00But when he woke up, he felt extremely sick.
00:09:03David Adelman said luckily Murray woke up early enough
00:09:06to call team doctors to give them plenty of time
00:09:08to start him on medications and IVs.
00:09:11Worth noting, Murray did not go through
00:09:13his pregame individual warm-up tonight.
00:09:16Adelman said the first six minutes of the game
00:09:18will be crucial to see what his wind looks like.
00:09:21If he can't play as many minutes,
00:09:23Russell Westbrook will play more,
00:09:25and Jalen Pickett will likely be inserted into the rotation.
00:09:29All right, Katie, Denver trying to stave off elimination
00:09:32and force a Game 7 Sunday in Oklahoma City.
00:09:35Tip-off is coming up,
00:09:36but first, we'll head to the studio after this.
00:09:38♪♪
00:09:42NBA Courtside on ESPN
00:09:44is presented by Pronamel Clinical Enamel Strength,
00:09:47three times stronger enamel
00:09:49with twice-dip to NBA Courtside.
00:09:52Presented by Pronamel.
00:09:54We are moments away from tip-off in Denver
00:09:56where the Nuggets face elimination here,
00:09:58and it's just a human nature perk.
00:10:00If you are the team that's up,
00:10:01maybe you let go of the rope a little bit,
00:10:03and the team that's down is going to fight out the gate.
00:10:06How can OKC guard against that?
00:10:08Well, I think they got to come out and punch first.
00:10:11I think the message always,
00:10:12when you're the team that's on the road,
00:10:14is don't let the crowd get into it, right?
00:10:17You want to come out swinging
00:10:18and not having to swing back.
00:10:20Throw the first punch.
00:10:21But it's going to be interesting with Jamal Murray, Bob,
00:10:24and how long of a leash the coach is going to let him
00:10:27try to, like, figure it out or see if he can battle through it.
00:10:30You don't have time for that.
00:10:31Joe Mizzoula bit Christopher Zingas yesterday
00:10:34and said, no, no, no, no, no.
00:10:36We got to go with somebody that's healthy.
00:10:38Yeah, and looking at him right here,
00:10:39sometimes you can see it in a guy's eyes.
00:10:41He looks actually better than I thought.
00:10:43If you're just looking at the screen right there,
00:10:45he looks better.
00:10:46Sometimes you see guys that are sick,
00:10:47and you can see it like any of us on their face.
00:10:50This is a close-out game.
00:10:52You've been in these games, Perk.
00:10:53I've been around these games.
00:10:55They're choppy.
00:10:56They're choppy.
00:10:57They're messy.
00:10:58They're not pretty.
00:10:59The toughest team, the toughest team that doesn't let go of the rope
00:11:02usually comes out ahead of these games.
00:11:03Do you go at Jamal Murray for this?
00:11:05It's not an injury.
00:11:06No.
00:11:07Just play the way you play.
00:11:08Just play the way you play.
00:11:09That's right.
00:11:10I will keep an eye on Russell Westbrook.
00:11:14We always keep an eye on Westbrook.
00:11:16Jamal Murray, he has played the most minutes in this postseason as well.
00:11:21But now it's time to get playing.
00:11:22Let's get you back to Denver.
00:11:25It's serious for the A's.
00:11:27They know who we are playing against.
00:11:28We have an amazing team.
00:11:30This is our opportunity tonight.
00:11:32I'm sure they don't want to go home,
00:11:34so we'll probably get the best game out of them.
00:11:41There are no more goals.
00:11:43The result is the only thing.
00:11:46The playoffs are a mountain to climb.
00:11:48The biggest moments, you just flex the muscles that you've been working on all year.
00:11:55Gildas Alexander saving his best for last.
00:11:59How can we get better?
00:12:02Picture of poise and experience.
00:12:13How confident are you that we'll all be back here this weekend?
00:12:16Very confident.
00:12:18Welcome to the NBA playoffs presented by Google.
00:12:24It's the conference semifinals delivered by Chipotle.
00:12:29Game six between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets
00:12:33from a sold-out ball arena in Denver, Colorado.
00:12:37The Thunder lead this best-of-seven conference semifinal series
00:12:41three games to two.
00:12:43A win tonight, and they will host Minnesota Sunday on ABC
00:12:47in game one of the Western Conference Finals.
00:12:51Starting lineups brought to you by T-Mobile.
00:12:53Same five for the Thunder.
00:12:56Led by MVP front-runner Shea Gildas Alexander.
00:13:00Lou Dort, who was the fourth-quarter hero of game five.
00:13:03All-star Jalen Williams, Holmgren, and Hartenstein.
00:13:07The double bigs for OKC.
00:13:09The double bigs for OKC.
00:13:11And for Denver, Jamal Murray.
00:13:13Under the weather, but giving it a go.
00:13:15He has six career 40-point playoff games.
00:13:18The most in franchise history.
00:13:19They might need that tonight.
00:13:21Christian Brown, Michael Porter Jr. battling a shoulder injury.
00:13:24He has struggled.
00:13:25Aaron Gordon, two-game winners in the postseason.
00:13:28And, of course, the Joker.
00:13:31Denver trying to force a game seven for the third straight series.
00:13:35They beat the Clippers in seven in the first round.
00:13:37Lost in seven last year to Minnesota on this court in the conference semis.
00:13:43Meanwhile, Oklahoma City trying to get to the conference finals
00:13:47for the first time since 2016.
00:13:50Get a step closer to their first NBA final since 2012.
00:13:54And their first championship since 1979 in Seattle.
00:14:08Aaron Gordon has been one of the breakout stars of this 2025 postseason.
00:14:14Averaging 18 points per game in the playoffs.
00:14:17Murray with his first touch.
00:14:19Jokic setting the screen for Dort.
00:14:21Gordon's three short.
00:14:22Rebound Williams.
00:14:28Jalen Williams.
00:14:31To Holmgren.
00:14:34And now Shea Gilgis-Alexander drives.
00:14:36Hartenstein with the floater.
00:14:39Well, that penetration at the top forces that collapse.
00:14:43And now all passing avenues are open to Shea Gilgis-Alexander.
00:14:46Easy decision to find Hartenstein on the baseline.
00:14:52Jokic, 240 yards.
00:14:56Jokic, 240, 15, 5 games.
00:15:0115 rebounds, 5 assists.
00:15:03First player in NBA history to have two of those in a single series.
00:15:06And the mismatch, but Dort, who's one of the best defensive players in the game,
00:15:11got the steal.
00:15:12And now SGA down court.
00:15:14Dort hit three fourth-quarter threes.
00:15:16Can't pick up where he left off here, though.
00:15:18And you wonder if, you know, Jamal Murray came off on that first ball screen.
00:15:22He had an opportunity to get in to his pull-up.
00:15:25He didn't. Led to a turnover on that possession.
00:15:28Murray for three.
00:15:30Got it and a foul.
00:15:32Chance at a four-point play for Jamal Murray.
00:15:44Well, I don't know who's more relieved to see that.
00:15:46Jamal Murray, Adleman, Denver Nuggets are the fans
00:15:50because a lot of question marks around Jamal Murray coming in.
00:15:53How did he feel?
00:15:54Really struggled shooting the basketball when that lead was disappearing.
00:15:59In game five, comes out, knocks down his first three.
00:16:02An opportunity to turn it into four.
00:16:04Yeah, he was just 10 for 27 from the floor.
00:16:07Three for 13 from three.
00:16:08And the game five loss.
00:16:10At 28 points, but an inefficient night.
00:16:13And a lot of those misses, as you said, legs in the fourth.
00:16:16And here comes the 1-3-1 zone that Denver has employed more than at any time.
00:16:22Since David Adleman's been here, he told us, in Denver,
00:16:25it's the best way they feel like to defend OKC,
00:16:28but they give up a wide open look in their first possession in that zone.
00:16:31From Jalen Williams.
00:16:32And now Murray. Here's Gordon. Corner three.
00:16:35Again, misfire. Jokic tried to tip it to himself.
00:16:39And out of bounds, off Hartenstein.
00:16:42Well, the points per possession defensively for Denver
00:16:47far greater in this series playing zone than man-to-man.
00:16:51But when you're going to have a simple ball screen lead to a pull-up jumper,
00:16:54there's a breakdown.
00:16:55Shea Gilgis-Alexander caught sleeping.
00:16:57Christian Brown sneaks inside of him for the easy two.
00:17:04Nice pass. Gilgis-Alexander to Dort, the high flyer.
00:17:08Lou Dort, former undrafted player, now in his sixth season in the NBA.
00:17:14His first basket of the game. Second assist for Shea.
00:17:18Now you've got Murray with Holmgren defending him.
00:17:22Murray, nice move off the bounce.
00:17:24And Jamal Murray, a hot start. He's got six points already.
00:17:29Set that back screen to get the switch and was able to operate in his sweet zone
00:17:33with the pull-up, but Lou Dort hits another one.
00:17:36And Denver fans feeling that because Lou Dort turned that game around
00:17:40the other night in game five.
00:17:46Murray as Dort hits the deck, missed the three,
00:17:49and one and done possession for Denver.
00:17:52And Jalen Williams passed everybody all the way to the goal.
00:17:55Poor defensive transition there by Denver.
00:17:58It cannot happen. You cannot get into jog mode defensively
00:18:02and transition with a team that really is like a track team
00:18:05when they get that ball off the glass or off of a turnover.
00:18:08Jalen Williams saw that and took it all the way.
00:18:10Jokic with the spin and the basket like a dancing bear in there
00:18:14with Chet Holmgren defending him. His footwork, incredible.
00:18:18Hasn't had that many opportunities deep in the post with one-on-one coverage
00:18:21in this entire series.
00:18:23Dort missed the rainbow.
00:18:27One-point lead for the Thunder, three and a half minutes gone by.
00:18:30Both teams shooting better than 55% from the floor.
00:18:36Shot clock down to seven. Jokic, what a pass to Brown.
00:18:42And great recovery. Holmgren with his 12th block of the series.
00:18:46Gilgis Alexander out to Jalen Williams.
00:18:50And knocked away by Christian Brown. Loose ball.
00:18:53Murray's got it. Murray will take it at Shea.
00:18:56And a foul. Murray back to the line.
00:19:00Second on the Thunder, first on SGA.
00:19:06A lot of action here back and forth. This is Jokic again.
00:19:09You just don't see him against this team get deep position like that.
00:19:13That's going to be easy pickings no matter who's guarding him.
00:19:16This you do see a lot of. Chet Holmgren over two blocks a game in this series.
00:19:20He was lurking along the baseline.
00:19:22Timed that up perfectly. Christian Brown thought he had an easy dunk.
00:19:27Murray 88% shooter at the line here in the playoffs.
00:19:31Alex Caruso checking in.
00:19:34It was an offseason move the Thunder made after falling short of the conference finals last year.
00:19:39Losing to Dallas and the conference semis.
00:19:41So they trade Josh Giddey. They get Alex Caruso for this very reason.
00:19:47Because of his leadership. A champion with the Lakers in 2020.
00:19:51And that has really been on display here in this series in particular.
00:19:54And the toughness of defense are always there with Alex Caruso.
00:19:57What's been nice for OKC these last two games are the 23 points that he's given them.
00:20:03Most of them coming at key times.
00:20:06Averaging about 13 points per game in the series.
00:20:09A round and out by Williams. Jokic with the rebound. His second.
00:20:12He's taken just one shot. Murray.
00:20:14Most of them coming at key times.
00:20:16A round and out by Williams. Jokic with the rebound. His second.
00:20:18He's taken just one shot. Murray.
00:20:20Most of the offense seven points. Porter.
00:20:23He's missed 11 straight three-pointers.
00:20:25He's got that wrap on his left shoulder.
00:20:27Which he hurt early in the Clippers series in the first round.
00:20:31SGA yet to take a shot.
00:20:33And fouled by Jokic.
00:20:37First on Denver.
00:20:40Yeah, Nikola Jokic here gets himself in a tough spot.
00:20:43That high ball screen.
00:20:45And Shea Gilgis-Alexander operating one-on-one.
00:20:47And he gets him right there.
00:20:49It's easy call right across the right forearm.
00:20:51And I know Jokic probably would like to have that one back.
00:20:54You don't want to commit a foul on a play like that.
00:20:56If you're going to use them up, use them up at the rim.
00:21:00Missed free throw by a 90% shooter in Shea Gilgis-Alexander.
00:21:04The two head coaches, David Adleman, you saw there.
00:21:06He's the interim head coach.
00:21:08Replaced Michael Malone, who was fired on April 8th.
00:21:11And Mark Degnaud on the other side in his fifth year.
00:21:14Coach of the year last year.
00:21:17So one out of two for Gilgis-Alexander.
00:21:20It's a one-point Thunder lead.
00:21:22Four and a half minutes in.
00:21:28Murray trying to get free.
00:21:29Caruso on him.
00:21:30Murray passed him.
00:21:31Hangs.
00:21:32Scoop and score.
00:21:33Jamal Murray.
00:21:34Nine points out of the 13 for the Denver Broncos.
00:21:3713 for the Nuggets.
00:21:38Great awareness on that catch and swing through.
00:21:40He just immediately put it down and got to the rim.
00:21:42Three no good from Gilgis-Alexander.
00:21:44Dort hustling.
00:21:45Saves it.
00:21:46But Christian Brown has it.
00:21:48Brown gets past him.
00:21:50Drives.
00:21:51Feeds it inside.
00:21:52And a little sloppy possession in transition.
00:21:55But Gordon left wide open.
00:21:57The three's good.
00:21:59Aaron Gordon really the only supporting cast member
00:22:03that has shot the three well in this series.
00:22:09That's his first basket of the game.
00:22:11He's shooting 44% of the series.
00:22:13Great hands.
00:22:14Gordon got the steal.
00:22:15Ahead to Brown.
00:22:16Who soars and flushes.
00:22:19Driven performance brought to you by Dunkin.
00:22:21And what a start for Jamal Murray.
00:22:23And you talk about relieving some of the pressure on a team
00:22:27facing elimination at home.
00:22:28Comes out.
00:22:29First shot at a three.
00:22:31Knocks it down.
00:22:32He's got it.
00:22:33He's got it.
00:22:34He's got it.
00:22:35He's got it.
00:22:36He's got it.
00:22:37He's got it.
00:22:38He's got it.
00:22:39He's got it.
00:22:40He's got it.
00:22:41He's got it.
00:22:42He's got it.
00:22:43He's got it.
00:22:44He's got it.
00:22:45He's got it.
00:22:46He's got it.
00:22:47Newton knocks it down.
00:22:48Plus the foul.
00:22:50Great job here probing.
00:22:51Using that creative dribble to get back to a comfortable
00:22:54pull-up jumper.
00:22:55And I love this one.
00:22:56This swing, through and attack.
00:22:59Once he sees that Harnstein is lifted.
00:23:01No shot blocking at the rim.
00:23:03Jamal Murray has come out and given this crowd and his
00:23:06teammates a big boost here earlier.
00:23:08So, nine points, two assists in 11 previous elimination games.
00:23:12Jamal Murray has been nothing short of spectacular.
00:23:16two 40-point games and a 50-point game in a closeout situation.
00:23:217-0 Denver run over the last minute to lead by six.
00:23:25Midway through the opening quarter,
00:23:27Kaysen Wallace is on the floor now for the Thunder,
00:23:29second-year pro out of Kentucky.
00:23:32So, Dort on the bench, Caruso short on the three,
00:23:35backside board, Aaron Gordon.
00:23:40And even though Caruso has hurt them with three-point shooting,
00:23:43that's a perfect defensive possession for Denver.
00:23:45Attack the strong side, force that ball to the weak side
00:23:48with a contested three.
00:23:50Shot clock inside of ten.
00:23:51Here's Jokic taking just one shot.
00:23:53Made it.
00:23:54Now on the move, Jokic gets in the lane.
00:23:56He's two for two.
00:23:57Four points, two boards, and an assist.
00:24:01Denver now into the 2-3 zone,
00:24:03a different version that they like to play,
00:24:05and this got away from them a little bit in the fourth quarter of game five.
00:24:11Corner three, Wallace.
00:24:12Got it.
00:24:13That ends a drought of three-and-a-half minutes for the Thunder
00:24:16without a basket.
00:24:18Yeah, they have a harder time in the 2-3,
00:24:20getting out to the three-point line when there's been penetration.
00:24:25Porter, Caruso flies by.
00:24:27There it is.
00:24:28Michael Porter, who had missed 11 straight threes,
00:24:31swishes that one through.
00:24:35Gilgis Alexander working on the other end on Brown.
00:24:38Great bounce underneath to Hartenstein.
00:24:41Jokic played good defense.
00:24:42Steal by Porter.
00:24:44Another turnover by the Thunder.
00:24:50Jokic has Caruso on him.
00:24:51Jokic swatted away by Williams.
00:24:54What a great defensive play after an incredible catch by Jokic.
00:24:59Wallace missed the layup.
00:25:00Rebound Brown.
00:25:01But a foul is called here on Oklahoma City.
00:25:04That's three team fouls.
00:25:08Both teams very active defensively here early.
00:25:11You see Jokic cuts off Hartenstein at the baseline.
00:25:14The deflection, Michael Porter, Jr.,
00:25:16very aware to get into that passing lane.
00:25:18And Jokic tries a one-hand this because he was holding off his primary
00:25:23defender with his left hand.
00:25:25Just tried to finesse that up quickly.
00:25:27But what a weak side play defensively.
00:25:30Looked like a good block to you.
00:25:31The clean.
00:25:32Meanwhile, Kayson Wallace picked up the foul on the other end.
00:25:35His first.
00:25:36Denver ball up eight.
00:25:37Getting leads hasn't been an issue.
00:25:39Denver led for a good part of game five but ended up losing.
00:25:42Brown's three.
00:25:43No good.
00:25:44And Holmgren with a rebound.
00:25:45No shots yet for Holmgren.
00:25:47That's his first board.
00:25:49Jalen Williams for three.
00:25:51And Jalen Williams, who has not been an offensive threat in this series,
00:25:55averaging only about three points per game,
00:25:57knocks down that one.
00:25:59Talk about picking your spots.
00:26:00He's averaging three points a game,
00:26:02but he's 50% from the three-point line.
00:26:04So he selectively takes shots.
00:26:07But he takes shots that he knows he can make,
00:26:09and he's done it at a high level in this series.
00:26:11Brown drives, fires to Murray,
00:26:14makes the pass, and hits from mid-range.
00:26:17Jamal Murray, 11 points, four of five from the floor.
00:26:24They got both Jalen Williams on the floor for Oklahoma City,
00:26:27along with Wiggins, Wallace, and Holmgren.
00:26:31Empty possession with Williams missing.
00:26:34Jokic on the floor.
00:26:35Trying to take advantage of the thunder with Shea Gilgis-Alexander
00:26:39on the bench right now.
00:26:40Entry pass Jokic.
00:26:42Jokic puts it in.
00:26:43That is beautiful awareness and a perfect delivery by Christian Brown.
00:26:51As Jokic went block to block, that ball had to be thrown to his right hand
00:26:55or it's going to be a turnover.
00:26:57Ten assists on 11 made baskets for Denver.
00:27:00Way off was Wiggins.
00:27:01Offensive rebound by Williams.
00:27:03Wiggins is able to hit the floater on the baseline.
00:27:07One of the few second-chance opportunities for OKC.
00:27:10Denver's defensive activity has really been on point
00:27:13and sharp here at the start.
00:27:15Can't give up those second-chance opportunities.
00:27:18Christian Brown wide open, and the threes are falling tonight.
00:27:23Denver had been missing a ton of open looks throughout this series,
00:27:26but they're going early on here.
00:27:31Ten-point advantage now, trying to force a game seven Sunday.
00:27:35Jalen Williams, though, getting the three.
00:27:37Pinballs to Brown.
00:27:41High-scoring opening quarter, not just for this series,
00:27:45but based on what we've seen throughout the playoffs.
00:27:47A reach-and-foul called on Jalen Williams, his first and the fourth on the thunder.
00:27:53Nikole Jokic doing what he does best, creating space in the post
00:27:58and the patience to finish it.
00:28:00Christian Brown, who has really struggled in this series,
00:28:03gets everybody on their feet.
00:28:06Denver trying to save their season.
00:28:13That's the official sportsbook of ESPN.
00:28:15Game six at Madison Square Garden on ESPN tomorrow night.
00:28:18The Knicks try again to take out the Celtics
00:28:21and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
00:28:23ABC Saturday, WNBA tip-off,
00:28:25Vegas and the Liberty, Indiana and Chicago.
00:28:28Go to nba.com for more.
00:28:30Let's listen to the sounds of the game with David Adleman,
00:28:32Denver interim head coach.
00:28:35He's got to win all the loose balls.
00:28:37We know they're going to tip balls out down here.
00:28:39We're trying a defensive rebound, so if you're not part of the play,
00:28:42go ahead and explore the elbows, explore the three-point line.
00:28:45The ball's going to be there for you.
00:28:47Be ball strong.
00:28:49Adleman's eighth year on the staff.
00:28:52When Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth were let go in early April,
00:28:56it was an obvious choice to go to Adleman,
00:28:58a player, a coach that all the players have great respect for.
00:29:02Julian Strother off the bench, along with Westbrook and Watson,
00:29:05and Strother, second-year man out of Gonzaga, misses a three.
00:29:09Shea Gilgis-Alexander back on the court.
00:29:12He drives and is fouled and will go to the line.
00:29:16He smells weakness, they're going to say on the floor,
00:29:19but he's so good at smelling weakness.
00:29:21When he sees a switch or a defender that he thinks he can take, it's on.
00:29:25Yeah, and he just needs a little bit of an angle.
00:29:28He creates all the contact on that.
00:29:30But Strother is sliding, moving, so Shea Gilgis-Alexander,
00:29:34one of the best we have in this league,
00:29:35over eight free-throw attempts per game in this series.
00:29:38And he thought that was a shooting foul, but a side out of bounds.
00:29:41Shot clock down to six.
00:29:42Wallace, pocket pass, Wiggins lost it.
00:29:44That's the fifth turnover by Oklahoma City, just one for Denver.
00:29:49Here's Jokic driving, swings it, tried to get it back.
00:29:53The pass by Westbrook broken up beautifully by Jalen Williams.
00:29:56Wallace lays it in with the left hand.
00:29:59And the difference between those two entry passes,
00:30:01the one that Christian Brown threw earlier,
00:30:03was extended enough out away from the defender that Jokic could catch it.
00:30:07Westbrook did not give Jokic enough room on that catch.
00:30:10Leads to a turnover.
00:30:12And they're going to call a foul here on Case and Wallace.
00:30:15You saw the elbow swing from Westbrook,
00:30:17but Wallace was moving and there was no contact to the head.
00:30:21You see Westbrook throws that too much to the center of Jokic's body
00:30:25when his defender is coming around the right side of him.
00:30:28That ball has to be thrown out to the left hand.
00:30:30If he does that, Jokic turns.
00:30:32He's got an easy layup at the rim.
00:30:33That's the first on Wallace.
00:30:35They had called a foul on Wallace earlier, Tim,
00:30:37but they changed it to Hartenstein.
00:30:39So that's two on Hartenstein.
00:30:40We'll keep an eye on that.
00:30:43Russell Westbrook.
00:30:44He's 17, 36 years old.
00:30:46Of course, started his career with the Thunder.
00:30:50He's struggled the last two games just three for 19 from the floor,
00:30:53but he's also had some great moments in this postseason.
00:30:56One of that group of three guys that I was looking at coming into this game,
00:30:59Russell Westbrook, Christian Brown, Michael Porter, Jr.,
00:31:02have struggled so mightily from the three-point line.
00:31:05You've already seen one go in for Brown, one for Michael Porter, Jr.
00:31:09Yet to see Russell Westbrook take a three,
00:31:11but they're vital to Denver's spacing.
00:31:14Gilges Alexander finds Holmgren, steps back, misses a three,
00:31:18and rebound Porter.
00:31:20Oklahoma City three for ten from behind the arc so far.
00:31:24Westbrook racing up the floor.
00:31:26Pass batted away by Wiggins out of bounds.
00:31:31Jamal Murray getting rest.
00:31:33It'll be interesting to see how many minutes he can go.
00:31:36In the ten-minute plate so far,
00:31:37it looked great despite being under the weather.
00:31:40Eleven points, four or five shooting.
00:31:42Making shots is great medicine.
00:31:44There's no question about that if you feel under the weather.
00:31:47Jokic battling with Jalen Williams.
00:31:49Westbrook on the fall away, not even close.
00:31:52And Jalen Williams rebounds.
00:31:56Holmgren.
00:31:59Fans here thought he traveled, gets to the rim and lays it home.
00:32:02And Oklahoma City back within seven here in the final minute of the opening quarter.
00:32:07He may have shuffled his feet on that initial catch and jab,
00:32:10but that is incredible skill and balance to come out of that spin,
00:32:14practically falling down and using that frame to get all the way there.
00:32:18Westbrook again driving, turns it over again.
00:32:21Numbers, if they hurry, Williams throws it down.
00:32:24Holmgren, nice pass.
00:32:25And here comes OKC.
00:32:32Turnovers to this point, not a factor,
00:32:35but here in the last minute or so, a couple that have led to opportunities for OKC.
00:32:40Westbrook misses a three, and Oklahoma City can hold for the final shot.
00:32:51Peyton Watson comes out to greet SGA.
00:32:54Six seconds to go in the quarter.
00:32:55Screen from Wiggins, and a foul is called here.
00:33:00That's the first in the last two minutes, so it's going to be a side out of bounds.
00:33:04Turnovers in this series have been a massive factor.
00:33:07Oklahoma City has twice as many points off turnovers.
00:33:11Denver really did a great job over the first ten minutes of taking care of the basketball.
00:33:16It's gotten away from them here toward the end of the quarter.
00:33:18A couple of those by Russell Westbrook.
00:33:22Christian Brown checking in for defensive purposes here.
00:33:25Caruso will inbound at 5.8 seconds remaining.
00:33:29Here's Gilgis Alexander.
00:33:30Brown defending, bodying as SGA goes to the left hand, and banks it in.
00:33:34What a shot by SGA with a second left.
00:33:38An 8-1 run by the Thunder to close the quarter.
00:33:42They trailed by ten at one point, but back within three.
00:33:46Murray with 11 to lead all scores.
00:33:48Balance scoring for the Thunder.
00:33:50Three-point game in game six after one.
00:33:58Conference semifinals delivered by Chipotle.
00:34:00We're on the sidelines with Mark Dagnall.
00:34:02Mark, during the first time out, you told your guys we need to play with more force.
00:34:05In what way?
00:34:06Just both ends of the floor.
00:34:07They're going to let us play tonight, and we've got to be more physical.
00:34:09We've got to be more forceful.
00:34:10The more physical, forceful team is going to win.
00:34:12How were you guys able to disrupt them offensively in the last final few possessions?
00:34:16We stacked good possessions.
00:34:17We finally got them under control.
00:34:18They were hot early for us to be down three after the way they shot it,
00:34:21the way they played.
00:34:22It was really good.
00:34:23Thanks, Mark.
00:34:24Thanks, Katie.
00:34:25And Katie, a turnover.
00:34:26Shea Gilgis Alexander hurt his hand.
00:34:27He's in some serious pain as Peyton Watson hangs and finishes.
00:34:32Well, that was great defense by Denver.
00:34:34Started individually, Russell Westbrook just playing Shea 1-0-1 on the left wing
00:34:39and then help on the weak side to force the turnover.
00:34:42The bank shot won't fall as Gilgis Alexander again continues to pull on his right hand.
00:34:50Gordon doubled on the baseline.
00:34:52Out to Watson.
00:34:53He'll let it fly.
00:34:54Missed the three.
00:34:56I'll tell you, Nikola Jokic on the bench right now and his rest,
00:34:59it's a direct correlation between how this group plays offensively
00:35:03and how long you can let him rest.
00:35:07And Shea still shaking that hand.
00:35:09He'll go to the line here for two free throws.
00:35:13We'll see Westbrook swiping at it.
00:35:23Paul Murray picked up the foul, his first,
00:35:25and free throws for Gilgis Alexander, one for two so far.
00:35:28That's just great defense by Westbrook.
00:35:30He had him 1-0-1 on an island on that side of the floor
00:35:33and does a great job of making him pick his dribble up,
00:35:37playing the basketball, ended up with a turnover on the weak side by Caruso.
00:35:46The last player to win MVP and make the finals was Steph Curry in 2016.
00:35:52We'll find out about whether Shea is the MVP here soon
00:35:55when the voting numbers are public.
00:36:00And a win tonight would get the Thunder one step closer to the NBA finals.
00:36:04A foul on Williams on the other end battling with Gordon.
00:36:08So as a shooter, that right hand, that shooting hand,
00:36:12what's the biggest impact that can have on your shot?
00:36:15Well, it's just finishing your shot more than anything else.
00:36:18It's going to be okay on the catch and as you go up to release.
00:36:20But when you extend and flex those fingers on your follow through,
00:36:24that is when it's most likely if he has jammed something
00:36:27or hyperextended a finger.
00:36:29Westbrook there with the putback off the air ball from Watson.
00:36:36Of course, Aaron Gordon had the putback heard around the world
00:36:39in the first round to beat the Clippers
00:36:41and help them win that series in seven games.
00:36:44He also won game one with a three-pointer.
00:36:47Here's Gilgis Alexander, four points so far, two assists, pull-up jumper,
00:36:51good for Shea Gilgis Alexander, second basket.
00:36:54Makes that one, immediately grabs that hand after the ball goes through,
00:36:58but that's Shea Gilgis Alexander getting to his favorite spot on the floor,
00:37:02that mid-range 15-footer.
00:37:05Westbrook turns it over, stepped on the sideline.
00:37:11And this has to be contained better.
00:37:12You've got two guys on the point of attack when that screen is set,
00:37:15cannot allow Shea Gilgis Alexander to escape around the outside of that
00:37:19because you're not getting any more help with that possession.
00:37:22He gets to an open pocket, and that's almost automatic.
00:37:25Really looking to score based on the guys he has with him on the floor right now,
00:37:29and SGA has the last five points for the Thunder.
00:37:33Williams hit a three earlier, hangs, can't bank it in, got it back, and fouled.
00:37:41Good minutes off the bench for the other Jalen Williams.
00:37:48In his third year out of Arkansas, Murray picks up his second foul.
00:37:52Aaron Gordon down there by himself against two Thunder offensive rebounders,
00:37:58tried to secure it but gets it knocked out of his hand,
00:38:01and OKC with another second-chance opportunity.
00:38:04Five points, three rebounds for Williams.
00:38:08Missed the first free throw.
00:38:09WNBA tip off 25 Saturday afternoon on ABC.
00:38:13The Liberty taking on Las Vegas at 1 Eastern time,
00:38:16followed by Chicago, Galen Clark, and Indiana.
00:38:19Coverage tips 1230 Eastern with WNBA countdown.
00:38:24They've passed Tim Legler, Katie George here in Denver for game six,
00:38:27Thunder up three games to two.
00:38:29Christian Brown just checked into the game,
00:38:31and I think the normal rotation would have been come back in for Strother.
00:38:34He actually gets Russell Westbrook, and Westbrook looks surprised by that,
00:38:37but hit three turnovers, a couple of bad shots, missed a free throw.
00:38:42I think that they want to go in a different direction right now
00:38:45to settle down this offense.
00:38:47And Murray staying in the game with two fouls.
00:38:49Shot clock inside of ten, Gordon spinning right into Williams,
00:38:52shovels to Watson underneath, pump fake and foul.
00:38:55Free throws for Peyton Watson.
00:39:02One thing about Westbrook, look, that just didn't go his way.
00:39:04His first time on the floor, and they shortened his minutes.
00:39:07He looked genuinely surprised.
00:39:09He touched his own chest like three times, like for me, for me.
00:39:13But one thing about him I will say, he's going to stay in the game mentally,
00:39:16and he's going to bring the same energy the next time he checks in the game,
00:39:19and he can make plays to help you win just through effort.
00:39:23Check in with Katie.
00:39:24Yeah, Dave, David Adelman said sometimes it looks ugly,
00:39:26but you can't replace Russell Westbrook's energy
00:39:29and the way he can be effective defensively.
00:39:31If he's not making shots and affecting our spacing,
00:39:33Adelman said it's up to me to take him out.
00:39:35But I'm not going to change a 17-year Hall of Famer
00:39:38by asking him to be really conservative or not be aggressive defensively.
00:39:41He has to take chances.
00:39:43That's who he is, and that's what's led him to helping us win games
00:39:46in these two series.
00:39:48Look, we all know what the negatives are, but there are a lot of positives,
00:39:51and we've seen that throughout a great career for Russell Westbrook.
00:39:54As David Adelman described it, and it's true, he said he has won us games
00:39:58in the postseason, and he's absolutely right, and he will be needed,
00:40:02I believe, in this game to get this to a game seven.
00:40:05Murray penetrating, missed the fall away.
00:40:08Gordon trying to get the loose ball, and a foul inside in Oklahoma City
00:40:11as Peyton Watson had his arm hit trying to get the rebound.
00:40:15It's on Gilgis Alexander.
00:40:17That's two on Shea.
00:40:23Third team foul.
00:40:27A side out of bounds here for Denver.
00:40:29Gilgis Alexander is going to take a seat.
00:40:31Jokic still on the bench for Denver right now.
00:40:35They're three minutes here into the second quarter.
00:40:37Caruso and Aaron Gordon have to be separated.
00:40:42Before the inbound pass, Mark Davis, the crew chief, steps in.
00:40:56Does not look like there are going to be any post-whistle infractions.
00:41:03The official settling things down.
00:41:05Well, you're talking about two of the toughest dudes we have in competitors.
00:41:09It doesn't matter the size difference.
00:41:11Both of these guys compete, and right here, they're just trying to stake their
00:41:15claim for position for this inbound pass.
00:41:17Gordon looks like he's playing defense, but he's actually the one
00:41:20trying to get the ball.
00:41:22Caruso knocks it away.
00:41:24And the one thing I'll say to Christian Brown, if you're trying to inbound it
00:41:27right here, that ball's got to come up in the air.
00:41:29Aaron Gordon's got a massive size advantage.
00:41:31What a play by Jalen Williams to steal the inbound pass.
00:41:35Home-grenade transition flies in there and slams it down.
00:41:38Timeout, Denver.
00:41:40Nuggets having all kinds of issues just getting the ball in,
00:41:44and the Thunder take advantage of the turnover.
00:41:46Well, after ten minutes of taking care of the basketball,
00:41:49Denver's gotten sloppy here.
00:41:51Late first quarter, early second, and nobody converts turnovers into points
00:41:56better than OKC.
00:42:03Tonight's Power Forward brought to you by Nissan.
00:42:05The Thunder trying to get to the conference finals for the first time since 2016.
00:42:10They'll be there with a win tonight, and they would host Minnesota
00:42:13in game one on Sunday.
00:42:15That was the last year Durant and Westbrook played together with the Thunder.
00:42:18Oklahoma City led the Warriors three games to one.
00:42:21Golden State stormed back to win.
00:42:23Durant ends up going to Golden State next year.
00:42:25Zero current Thunder players were in the NBA.
00:42:28Chet Holmgren on the left, he was 14.
00:42:30Shea Gilgis-Alexander in the middle, he was 17.
00:42:32And Jalen Williams on the right, he was 15 the last time the Thunder
00:42:36were in the conference finals.
00:42:39This is the second youngest team ever to be a number one seed.
00:42:44Last year, they were the youngest.
00:42:47They ended up losing in the conference semifinals.
00:42:49They're trying to get one step further.
00:42:51They'll face the six-seed Minnesota Timberwolves,
00:42:54who disposed of Golden State last night if they can win this game.
00:42:58Jokic back on the court for Denver.
00:43:01Minnesota in the conference finals for the second straight year.
00:43:04Murray misses.
00:43:050 for 2 here in the quarter after 11 points in the first.
00:43:08OKC can tie it with a 3 on this possession.
00:43:13SGA still on the bench.
00:43:15Corner 3, good.
00:43:17Kaysen Wallace ties the game at 37.
00:43:21He's 2 for 2 in this game.
00:43:23In his last two games in Denver, he's 5 for 5 from 3.
00:43:27It's going to be minimal shot opportunities for Kaysen Wallace.
00:43:30He's got to be ready to tow up those corner 3s when Denver commits
00:43:34five guys to the paint like they just did.
00:43:37Arch done, good defense.
00:43:38He's got two fouls.
00:43:39Has to be careful.
00:43:40Jokic puts it home.
00:43:428 points, 4 rebounds for Jokic.
00:43:47And a foul about 25 feet away from the basket on Strother.
00:43:52That's 2 on him.
00:43:55Yeah, Jokic understanding there's some foul trouble on the front line.
00:43:58He's going to get in there and he just muscles Chad Holgren out of the way.
00:44:02And then once he gets his hands on that that close to the rim,
00:44:05you know what's about to happen with him.
00:44:06This is Wallace.
00:44:07You've got to be ready.
00:44:08It's a good contest by Strother.
00:44:10Wallace gets it off in plenty of time.
00:44:15Third team foul on the other end on Denver, 3 in Oklahoma City.
00:44:20Euro step by Holgren.
00:44:23And he's able to get that one to go, his third basket.
00:44:26Yeah, I think if you're Nikola Jokic on that play,
00:44:28you can't worry about the pull-up jumper by Holgren.
00:44:31It's just not a shot really in his arsenal.
00:44:33He wants that.
00:44:34The jump stop gets you to lean in and then he's going to step through,
00:44:37use that 7-foot frame to get to the rim.
00:44:39Brown in the corner with a shot clock at 7.
00:44:42Jokic at the foul line.
00:44:43Hartenstein challenges it.
00:44:46Jokic with his second miss.
00:44:48Thunder can take the lead.
00:44:50They led by 3 early on.
00:44:53Elbow jump shot not close from Jalen Williams.
00:44:56Denver's pace in the half court has slowed down.
00:44:59They came out.
00:45:00Everything was crisp and sharp.
00:45:02The ball was hopping.
00:45:03The screens were better.
00:45:04More freedom of movement.
00:45:05Right now OKC starting to bottle them up.
00:45:08They have just 8 points here in the second quarter, Denver.
00:45:11Watson got free underneath.
00:45:12Great defensive play.
00:45:13Caruso with the rejection.
00:45:15Holmgren on the open floor and he blew the layup.
00:45:18But they're going to call a foul on Jokic and that's 2 on Nikola Jokic.
00:45:23Holmgren gets to his feet and will shoot two free throws.
00:45:29See if Denver challenges this.
00:45:33I don't like that call.
00:45:36I just don't think there's enough contact there.
00:45:38Jokic stops.
00:45:39He tries to avoid the contact.
00:45:41There's barely any that takes place on that play.
00:45:45It did prevent Holmgren because he was worried about Jokic hitting him
00:45:48from really extending and finishing the play.
00:45:51But I think that's the definition of a touch foul.
00:45:54Both Jokic and Murray with two fouls.
00:45:57Missed free throw by Holmgren.
00:46:00Aaron Gordon checking back in.
00:46:02But Jokic will stay on the floor.
00:46:07David Adleman electing not to challenge that.
00:46:09Wants to hold on to that challenge for later.
00:46:13Game 6.
00:46:14Thunder leads 3-2.
00:46:16Holmgren missed them both but kept alive by Caruso.
00:46:19And Williams tried to save it in the backcourt and does to Wallace.
00:46:22That's already a foul.
00:46:25Wallace showing great speed.
00:46:27This is one of the fastest teams in the league.
00:46:29And it was there on display as Oklahoma City has its first lead
00:46:32since it was 12-10.
00:46:34They're going to call a foul on Hardenstein.
00:46:36That's his third.
00:46:38Not going to be in the act of shooting.
00:46:40But a decision here for Mark Dagnall.
00:46:43He's just trying to hold on to it.
00:46:45He's trying to hold on to it.
00:46:47He's trying to hold on to it.
00:46:49He's trying to hold on to it.
00:46:52He's just trying to jump out right there.
00:46:56Again, not a lot of contact on that either.
00:46:58It looked like his hand was on top of the ball.
00:47:00And then he sort of backed away.
00:47:02He knows he had to be cautious.
00:47:04But you have to be more cautious than that if you've got two fouls in the second quarter.
00:47:08You heard Mark Dagnall say to Katie they're going to let us play.
00:47:11Well, that was in the first quarter.
00:47:12Not in the second.
00:47:13A lot more whistles here in this frame.
00:47:15Another Denver turnover.
00:47:17Alley-oop.
00:47:18Holmgren over Jokic.
00:47:19And the lead is four for Oklahoma City, its largest.
00:47:22Denver's half-court defense has been outstanding in this game.
00:47:25It's their transition defense where all of the damage is being done by OKC.
00:47:32Jokic on the drive.
00:47:33Murray throws it away.
00:47:34Turnover is a problem for both teams right now.
00:47:36Brown with the steal.
00:47:39Porter, long two.
00:47:41Swishes it through.
00:47:44A welcome sight for Denver fans.
00:47:47Michael Porter, Jr. with a couple of buckets.
00:47:49And a great decision to unfake that to get an 18-footer because
00:47:53Jed Holmgren was ready to extend and contest that.
00:47:56Pull off Williams.
00:47:57Hit that one over Murray.
00:47:58Jalen Williams with six points now in the ballgame.
00:48:01He had 32 in game three, a loss here in overtime.
00:48:05Denver led the series 2-1.
00:48:07But Oklahoma City has won the last two games.
00:48:14Murray, you have to score here in the quarter.
00:48:17And about six minutes of action.
00:48:19Shot clock at four.
00:48:20Great defense.
00:48:21Caruso.
00:48:22Murray off balance.
00:48:23Missed the shot.
00:48:24Alex Caruso, a major factor on defense right now.
00:48:28Williams, great move against Porter.
00:48:30Reverse layup no good.
00:48:31Rebound Jokic.
00:48:32He'll look to push ahead to Brown.
00:48:34Cuts through two defenders and lays it home.
00:48:37He split the bigs.
00:48:38Hardenstein couldn't pick up that fourth foul.
00:48:41An example of Christian Brown at his best in the open floor.
00:48:45The strength, the athleticism.
00:48:47Able to split two defenders to get to the rim.
00:48:53Few players in this league are as good as Christian Brown once he gets ahead of
00:48:57steam in the open floor.
00:48:59Much needed transition opportunity for Denver.
00:49:05Semifinals delivered by Chipotle.
00:49:07Let's take a look at SGA's night so far, Tim.
00:49:09Yeah, he got off to a pretty good start.
00:49:11Not only playmaking, also getting into the zones.
00:49:14He likes to score.
00:49:15Very creative there with the left hand and finish.
00:49:17But then this happened.
00:49:18Russell Westbrook reaches in.
00:49:20You see him grab the hand.
00:49:21He's only taken one shot from the field since that.
00:49:24And it's right here.
00:49:25Makes that mid-range pull up.
00:49:28But he's back on the floor now.
00:49:30Jamal Murray getting a breather.
00:49:31Got to wonder about Murray's energy because he was on fire to start the game
00:49:37but has not scored since the first quarter.
00:49:40He popped up on the injury report mid-afternoon with an illness.
00:49:46Woke up this morning sick.
00:49:47They started to give him fluids.
00:49:50And he's trying to go here tonight to keep the season alive inside.
00:49:54Williams got the bank shot.
00:49:55Caruso with the assist.
00:49:56Really good offense there against that zone.
00:49:58They get it to the corner.
00:49:59And then the weak side flash catches the back line of Denver really off guard.
00:50:05That's too deep to catch it on a flash in the paint.
00:50:0920 bench points for Oklahoma City in this game to seven for Denver.
00:50:13Jokic underneath to Westbrook.
00:50:14And he gets hammered by Williams.
00:50:18That's three on Jalen Williams.
00:50:20This is really good offense and execution right here.
00:50:23Denver in that zone.
00:50:24You get the high screen.
00:50:25It goes to the wing.
00:50:26But this ball goes to the corner.
00:50:28That top screener just comes right down the lane.
00:50:31And Michael Porter, Jr., a little bit late on the rotation in a zone defense.
00:50:36It's more important to anticipate cutters even more so than man-to-man.
00:50:41Friday night on ESPN.
00:50:43It's game six between Boston and New York.
00:50:46What a win for the Celtics after Jason Tatum suffered the Achilles injury the previous game.
00:50:52Can the Knicks close it out?
00:50:53The Pacers await the winner of that series.
00:50:56Coverage begins with NBA Countdown at 7 Eastern time.
00:51:00Feels like for Denver this last four and a half minutes needs to be heavy.
00:51:03Nikola Jokic offensively.
00:51:04Only six shots in the game.
00:51:06Hasn't taken a three or a free throw.
00:51:09And you've got to watch how you close quarters against OKC.
00:51:12Georges Alexander banked that one in.
00:51:15He thought he was fouled on the play.
00:51:16Didn't get the whistle.
00:51:17Thunder with its largest lead at five.
00:51:20Both teams are in the penalty situation here in the final four minutes of this first half.
00:51:29Gordon off the Jokic screen.
00:51:30Gets it back to him.
00:51:31And Jokic was grabbed.
00:51:32And that's three on Shea Gildas Alexander.
00:51:37SGA able to split those top two defenders.
00:51:40There was some contact for Michael Porter Jr.
00:51:42But it's great concentration.
00:51:44He got that same exact call earlier in the game against Strother.
00:51:48Banks that one in.
00:51:49But here you see him just holding on as Jokic gets that screen and seals him.
00:51:55SGA knew he was compromised.
00:51:57Did all he could to prevent the layup.
00:51:58So you talked about the lack of free throws.
00:52:00There's the first one.
00:52:01If you're Mark Dagnall, how do you handle this?
00:52:03You've got two starters and one of your top bench players all have three personal fouls.
00:52:08And you've got four minutes to go in this first half.
00:52:10Well, listen, that's where depth comes into it for Oklahoma City.
00:52:14They don't have a whole lot of depth up front.
00:52:17But they have repeatedly and regularly played 11 and 12 guys in regular season games.
00:52:23So Mark Dagnall has dealt with this before.
00:52:26And very few teams have the defensive depth to do it the way OKC does.
00:52:30They've used ten.
00:52:31Shea's going to stay on the court.
00:52:32And he's fouled here on the other end.
00:52:35He's two for four at the line.
00:52:36Eight points.
00:52:37Two assists, two rebounds.
00:52:39They get Porter for the foul, his first.
00:52:45Shea Gilgis-Alexander is so good at understanding the difference between
00:52:49when to go ahead and lean into the defender as he gets to that middle area of the floor
00:52:55and when to stop, put the brakes on, and lean back.
00:52:58Any time he senses that a defender is leaning in or that arm is in that zone
00:53:03where he's going to come up and through, he's going to draw the contact virtually every time.
00:53:08He's become an elite scorer.
00:53:10Thirty points per game or more, three consecutive seasons.
00:53:13He was the NBA scoring champ this year at about 33 points per game.
00:53:17He's averaging 28 in the playoffs, and he has ten points tonight.
00:53:21Oklahoma City's lead is back to five.
00:53:23Inside four minutes to go in the first half of game six.
00:53:27The Thunder up 3-2 in the series.
00:53:29You asked how they would deal with the foul trouble.
00:53:31They're going to go to his own right here, themselves,
00:53:33which is one way to try to protect.
00:53:35And Jokic, no problem getting the shot he wanted, unable to convert.
00:53:39He immediately put both hands on his head in disbelief.
00:53:43He's four for seven from the floor.
00:53:46Gilgis-Alexander, step back three.
00:53:48That's good.
00:53:49Shea Gilgis-Alexander with his first three-pointer of the game.
00:53:53He's catching fire here late in the first half.
00:53:56You can't have less of a window than he just had against Aaron Gordon.
00:54:01Jokic has Caruso on him again, so he goes to work.
00:54:04Bounce underneath to Brown.
00:54:05Missed the layup.
00:54:06Good defense, Gilgis-Alexander.
00:54:08Shea out of there with it.
00:54:10He's got ten points in the quarter.
00:54:13Working here on two defenders.
00:54:16And lost it out of bounds.
00:54:18Turnover by Shea.
00:54:23Shea Gilgis-Alexander right here.
00:54:24You got Jokic hovering, but look at how close Aaron Gordon is,
00:54:27how quickly Shea Gilgis-Alexander gets that from below his waist
00:54:32to the release point.
00:54:34And a challenge by Mark Dagnall on the out-of-bounds play
00:54:37on the other end of the court.
00:54:39Ruled off of Gilgis-Alexander.
00:54:43He believes that it was last touched by Denver.
00:54:46You see Brown knock it away there from Shea,
00:54:49and it looks like that was off Denver.
00:54:51Denver.
00:54:52New day, New day, New day.
00:55:22♪♪♪
00:55:32♪♪♪
00:55:42♪♪♪
00:55:52♪♪♪
00:56:02That Brown illegally contacted Gilgis-Alexander on his wrist,
00:56:09causing him to lose control of the ball prior to going out of bounds.
00:56:12Therefore, this is a proximate foul.
00:56:15Oklahoma City will shoot two free throws, and we'll play off.
00:56:18That's a new rule this year on out-of-bounds calls.
00:56:21You can go back and look to see if there's a proximate foul,
00:56:24and clearly, even though the ball did in that angle initially,
00:56:28the other angle, baseline angle, hard to tell who it went off of,
00:56:30but there clearly you can see off of Gilgis-Alexander,
00:56:32but they ruled the illegal contact by Brown caused the ball to go out of bounds.
00:56:37And that's an alert second row of OKC staff to get that,
00:56:41because sometimes you're going to make the challenge not just based on who touched it last.
00:56:45Now you have the ability, and Shea Gilgis-Alexander said it immediately.
00:56:49He was pointing to his arm that he got raked across the wrist.
00:56:52That's enough to get that proximate foul, reverse the call,
00:56:55and now you have an opportunity to get two free throws.
00:56:5914 points for Gilgis-Alexander.
00:57:03Eight in the last minute.
00:57:05Missed the second free throw.
00:57:07He's missed three free throws in this game.
00:57:0990% shooter during the season.
00:57:11Led the league and made free throws.
00:57:13Jamal Murray back on the court.
00:57:15Critical three-minute stretch here for Denver.
00:57:17Trying to keep its season alive.
00:57:19Trailing by nine, its largest deficit of the game.
00:57:22Jokic against Holmgren, going right at his chest, spinning, throws it up,
00:57:27missed the shot, but he was fouled.
00:57:33It's gone to Holmgren, that's his first.
00:57:35And for Chad Holmgren, I imagine this is a lot like what it would feel like to wrestle a grizzly bear.
00:57:40He just, he's holding on, Jokic feels all that contact,
00:57:44so he's just going to go ahead and get something up at the rim and earn two.
00:57:49Jokic misses a free throw.
00:57:51Halftime presented by Hyundai coming up with Malika Andrews, Perk, Bob Myers.
00:57:56They'll talk at length about this game and also look ahead to tomorrow night's game six
00:58:00in the east between Boston and New York when the Knicks look to win that series.
00:58:04Jokic misses both free throws.
00:58:07Denver is now eight of 13 at the line in an elimination game.
00:58:11After a great start offensively, Denver now is completely stalled.
00:58:16They're just not getting the freedom of movement, ball movement,
00:58:20shot making that they got in the first ten minutes of this game.
00:58:23Here's Porter, missed a three.
00:58:27Porter one for three from behind the arc, nearing two minutes to go.
00:58:31In the first half, Gilgis Alexander weaving through traffic, out to Williams.
00:58:35Extra pass, Holmgren, wide open, buries a three.
00:58:39First triple for Chad Holmgren, it's a 12-point lead for Oklahoma City.
00:58:44All created by Shea Gilgis Alexander's ability to split two defenders,
00:58:49get into the lane, and collapse the defense.
00:58:51From that point, it's a simple two-on-one read.
00:58:54Nine-nothing run right now by the Thunder.
00:58:57Brown walks back behind the line, answers with a triple!
00:59:02His second three, he's got a team-high 12 points.
00:59:05We talked to him before the game, we asked,
00:59:07do you have to do more tonight because of the health of Murray?
00:59:10He said, no, I'm going to let the game come to me, and it has.
00:59:13A steal, and now Gilgis Alexander just got called for his fourth foul.
00:59:20A potential huge moment here with 1.29 to go in the half.
00:59:27Yeah, it's a foul, and I understand the frustration if you're SGA,
00:59:32you know, you get stripped on the way up to get a shot,
00:59:35you just cannot make that play.
00:59:37You can't get your hands anywhere involved in that,
00:59:40in a situation where you've got three.
00:59:43Jokic hits the first free throw,
00:59:45Jokic hits the first free throw,
00:59:47so Gilgis Alexander will come out for the final 89 seconds
00:59:51as Caruso checks in.
00:59:53Good hands right here.
00:59:55Christian Brown and Jokic look like they both get a piece,
00:59:57and you can see right there.
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