Thunder nuggets game 7 predictions! Who is going to the West Finale? And will the winner of Sunday go all the way?

Donner against Nuggets. Nikola Jokić against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Play 7! A high-stakes showdown on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) will complete a dramatic second round of the NBA playoffs. Who will go to the Western Conference Finale to face the Timberwolves? Let us collapse.

What excited you the most on game 7?

Ben Rohrbach: Nikola Jokić against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two leading MVP candidates of the NBA in the last two seasons and lead in a game 7. What is not to be liked? One is a bruiser, the other a surgeon. It is a collision between styles between basketball's best big man and his best guard. And both rarely disappoint.

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Tom Haberstroh: The despair. On the game: The thunder could be the most successful team that misses the conference final; The Nuggets, especially after a triple-double season by Nikola Jokić, want a second round. Could we get an MVP ceremony before the game that would tighten the screws even more? As the NCAA tournament shows us every year, there is nothing better than tires with do-or-the stakes.

Dan Titus: The one-day break after a nightly Hoops marathon since April 18 is torture. But the waiting will be worth it because we go two MVP finalists for the only game 7 of the conference semi-final. Will Denvers prevail unshakable resistance? Or is the Young Thunder squad ready to use the moment? It is the type of high-stakes drama that makes the NBA playoffs on TV.

Morten stig Jensen: It is the MVP angle for me. Maybe simple, but I'm a fool for Playoff series in which the two leading candidates compete against each other. And now we get a seventh game between Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Give me the whole drama and all the stories afterwards.

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Jason Owens: What is not excited about? The best team in the NBA is looking for the breakthrough of the post -season against the former champions. The suspected MVP against the best player in the world. The winner will appear in the eyes of many of the favorites to win the NBA championship. This is the stuff of NBA Playoff.

What is the biggest key to thunder in game 7?

Haberstroh: Will the real Jalen Williams get up? I don't speak of his teammate Jaylin. I speak of assassin Jalen Williams in the fourth quarter, who was one of the best coupling players in the last two seasons. He was mostly Mia in this series and the thunder has to increase him after a 3-on-16 show in game 6.

Owens: Bring Jalen Williams up and running. SGA will get his. Okcs Bank Mob by Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, Jaylin Williams and Aaron Wiggins will deliver together. But the contributions by Jalen Williams in this series were at best unpredictable, and his six-point efforts played a major role in the 6-defeat on Thursday. When the all-star steps his teammates next to his teammates, OKC will be difficult to beat.

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Jensen: Is it too easy to say “do you take pictures”? This Thunder team fought greatly behind the long line, and although their problems are not ending there, we don't pretend that this is a main reason why they are in a seventh game at all. Swing the ball, look for the corners and let these evil boys fly.

Titus: The back battle. If the nuggets keep this competitive, this is due to their recreational opportunities and creates the chances of the second chance. In this series, the thunder enables 19.7 points of the second chance compared to only 12 points of the second chance in their. It will require a group effort on how Isaiah Hartenstein will have all hands full with Jokić, but if the thunder is on the glass, you will bring in an advantageous position to win.

Rohrbach: Can Jalen Williams answer the bell as a second option? This was the biggest question with which the young thunder was confronted from the moment of the post-season, and concern about the effects of the all-star striker has only grown because it shot 33.7% out of the field for the series. They say better players playing better at home, but the thunder needs Williams to be much more than that to achieve their ultimate goal.

What is the biggest key for the nuggets in game 7?

Jensen: Jokić has to be Jokić and maybe even more important: the side line -up must be ready and effective. We cannot give a solid 90-100 points and a high defense output by Jamal Murray and seven points from Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon (if he plays).

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Rohrbach: Health. Aaron Gordon's status is doubtful because he fights for a knee tendon load. Michael Porter Jr.'s shoulder is wrapped in bandages. Jamal Murray played an illness in game 6. The inflammation of the left foot cost Russell Westbrook a game earlier in the playoffs. These nuggets have only so many options, and most of them are doing it. How much did you leave in you for a street game 7?

Titus: I will follow Jokić's leadership and say “defense and details”. Dicting the pace and protecting the rock is of the greatest importance. The side line -up is the key. Before the game 6, Braun and Murray shot 33.5% and 39.5% in this series. With the structure of injuries and the chance knocking, role players such as Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson must feel their presence.

Owens: Find help for Nikola Jokić. Jokić performed in these playoffs like his three-time MVP self. That has not always translated to victories. The success formula of Denver affects one or more from Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and the bank that comes onto the market. A big Jamal Murray game is always good news for Denver.

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Haberstroh: A role player has to be a star. Christian Braun. Russell Westbrook. Julian Strawther (again). Peyton Watson. Probably without Aaron Gordon for game 7, the nuggets have to find a monster performance from an unlikely source. This becomes more difficult in game 7 on the street, but we should never underestimate the heart of a champion.

Play 7 Prediction! Who hits the Western Conference Finale: Donner or Nuggets?

Titus: Thunder. Since Gordon deals with an arm with a thigh injury and MPJ, it is too much to overcome on the street against such a choking and stilking defense.

Haberstroh: Thunder. If Gordon can't try it, I think the mountain will be too steep to climb the Denver squad. The thunder will probably unleash Alex Caruso and have it arranged on the short -handed nuggets chaos for over 40 minutes. If this game were in Denver, I could feel different.

Rohrbach: Thunder. They are the deeper team and at home that makes the difference.

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Owens: Thunder. This series was as possible. The teams play a 5-5 patt that goes back to the regular season. The edges are thin, and an injured or even limited Aaron Gordon could prove too much for a flat nuggets squad against the deeper thunder. Oklahoma City is the choice.

Jensen: Ah, another choice of Sophie. Look, I'm just approaching this game for every possible scenario. If you tell me the Thunder victory of 40, I could see it. If you tell me that you win at 1, that's completely reasonable. The same applies to Denver. But since I am a coward right now, I will say that in a close way and I am fully aware that I could look like an idiot.

Right or wrong: The winner of Game 7 will be the NBA champion 2025.

Owens: TRUE. The top challengers in the east are carried out. The thunder is the best team in basketball. When you win, you remain the clear favorites. When the Nuggets win, you will advance with the core of a squad that won a title two seasons ago, including the best player. None of the remaining teams praise themselves over this family tree, although the timber wolves may have something to say.

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Titus: INCORRECT. In a playoffs in which we saw most of the top dogs, I have the Knicks and Timberwolves that reach the NBA final.

Haberstroh: That's right if it is ok. But when the nuggets get hot and steal a game 7 in OKC, I am worried about Gordon's thigh injury, which could keep him out of the Western Conference finale, which begins on Tuesday, a piece, if not everyone. In this case I would go with the rested wolves.

Jensen: INCORRECT. When the timber wolves progress for the NBA final, I find Indiana or New York opportunities quite decent. In addition, we can throw the predictability out of the window in this post -season.

Rohrbach: It depends on. It is true if my prediction is correct and the Thunder play 7. They were the best team in the league all over the season and they are even wilder than the Timberwolves. I can't say the same thing about the wounded nuggets. It would be a surprise to survive game 7. To survive another series would be a miracle. Anyone who wins the West will win the final, but it will not be densver.