Jamal Murray 'very self -confident' nuggets can force game 7 against Thunder

Denver (ap) -Jamal Murray did not quite guarantee game 7.

“Very confident,” said the guard of Denver Nuggets about a return to Oklahoma City.

Before that there is the question of game 6, which is in Denver on Thursday evening. For the Nuggets, it is also the question of finding a way to protect a lead in the fourth quarter after the thunder had won the last two with late locations to achieve a 3-2 advantage in the second round.

The young thunder is collecting in your search for the first appearance of the franchise in the final of the Western conference since 2016. The Nuggets have shown that the depth remains a problem because they are preparing for a win-or-stay-home scenario in the ball arena.

“We will play the game in Denver and then we can come back,” said Murray after the 112-105 loss on Tuesday in Oklahoma City and pointed to a game 7 that would take place on Sunday. “We just have to keep a good attitude. It is not as if we are playing a bad basketball mark. It's not as if we are selfish. It depends on getting a few stops to win the game.”

The thunder may be youthful, but they are also composed independently of the deficit of the fourth quarter.

They gathered in game 4 after they had fallen eight in the last quarter. In game 6 they were at nine before Lu came to the rescue. There three critical 3 points met in two minutes to drive the thunder forward.

“We always say that the answer is never a heroic game or something extraordinary,” said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 5 31 points in game. “It is as we are. It trusts each other.”

All the time on the pitch is added to Denvers Start Five, which played about 951 minutes in the series – 138 more than the starter from Oklahoma City. Denver does not have a lot of banking depth outside of Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson and occasionally Julian Strawherther.

In addition, the nuggets are 12 out of 44 from the field 2 of 24 from the 3-point area during the last two losses during the last two losses.

Regarding the three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, the only thing the Nuggets had for in the fourth quarter on Tuesday was when he hit 4 out of 6 shots from the field. The rest of the team was combined in the last quarter 1 of 15, including 0: 10 from a 3-point area.

“If it's fatigue, that's up to me,” said Nugget's interim head coach David Adelman. “If boys are tired or tired legs, then these are the decisions I make.”

In the meantime, the Thunder saw 5 nine players in game at least 10 minutes of action. This versatility on and from the bank is simply the identity of the thunder, which after a regular season with 68 winners of the top seeds of the West.

“Nothing was unexpected or inspired in our performances. It was what we know all year round,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “We built these habits all year round to ensure that we are ready for these moments and are ready for these games. We still have one to get one.”

Jokić, who has rediscovered his shooting course, stands in the way. He ended with 44 points at 17-of-25 shooting in game 5. This after 31.9% in the last two games.

“I don't think 'joke' should go through any kind of defamation if he still plays all-NBA, MVP, Hall of Fame type of the level,” said Murray. “He played astonishingly. He does everything he can to win every single night.”

The nuggets are looking for ways to ignite a beaten Michael Porter Jr., who carries a pad on his bricked -left shoulder. Porter was recorded on two points on Tuesday. It was 0 for 5 out of 3 points, including two errors in the last 68 seconds.

“If he is open, he has to take it and we want him to make a shot,” said Jokić.

Your self -confidence in a game in which the thunder could complete the series?

“We won't just give game 6,” said Jokić. “We will do our best.”