As you can see, three keys in Oklahoma City

The nuggets drive on Sunday (1:30 p.m. MT) against the thunder in Oklahoma City to have a colossal game 7 against thunder. The winner rises to the final of the Western Conference to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The loser enters the low season. Here are three keys to the playoff game for winners that are broadcast on ABC.

1. Battle of the second options: Non-joker minutes, do you say? The nuggets were much more endangered by the minutes without Jamal Murray in this series. In six games, their net rating is 30.7 points better with Murray on the floor than. The one/off difference for Nikola Jokic is still amazing (9.1), but seems to be much less in comparison.

Murray was not efficient, but he was brave against the most difficult defense with which he was ever faced with and achieved an average of 22 points, five rebounds and five assists. Nugget's interim coach David Adelman pushed back the idea that playing Jokic enabled the entire fourth quarter of game 5 to enable Oklahoma City's comeback and to tell reporters after the film: “The only regret that I had not taken Jamal From the fourth quarter. “In game 7, the Nuggets have to survive a few two -minute pills for their Star Point Guard, including one in the fourth quarter.

In the meantime, Jalen Williams was almost completely neutralized by OKC as a secondary goal scorer, and Denver could get away with the crossing of smaller players on Chet Holmgren for routes (whether in zone or man). With the exception of game 3, Williams is an average of an average of 28.4% shooting off the field. The MVP showdown deserves a top statement in a game of this size, but the fates of the teams are also determined by the success or failure of their second options.

2. Will 3-point shoot travel ?:: Defense narrow down their focus in these moments. The goal is urgently than ever to reduce your opponent to the type of shot with which you can live. Denver will probably look for ways to catch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and to displace his home angles. The thunder will probably continue to reduce the color on Jokic, take away his praise and refuse the pocket pass.

The nuggets have two elements against them.

First: Home Court advantage is important, even if the league-wide playoff results indicate in other ways. In the regular season, the Nuggets shot 39% from a 3-point range at home and 36% on the street. They are 37.8% at home in the playoffs and 33.5%. Oklahoma City is 37.3% and 26.5% on the street in 10 off -season games. Lu there, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins each recorded the knife in Denver in various places. Denver needs at least one role player to deliver something from what Julian Strawther brought in game 6. Easier said than in an unfriendly and unknown environment.

Second, the defense of Oklahoma City can recover better for shooters than that of Denver. Even the “open” shots created by Jokic's gravity may not be completely safe from a solid competition. The nuggets are more susceptible to double teams.