OKC Thunder Must Use Youth as an Advantage to Finish the Job in Game 6

Oklahoma City has to take advantage of an exhausted Nuggets team in Denver on Thursday.

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) drives between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during the second quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City pulled off one of its biggest wins in franchise history on Tuesday night, completing a second half comeback against the Denver Nuggets and taking a crucial 3-2 lead in the series. In a series where it has felt like the Thunder have been dangerously close to the end of the road, the resiliency and grit have been on display. This young team just put together two of most impressive back-to-back playoff victories this franchise has ever seen.

After Oklahoma City swept Memphis, plenty of talk centered around the Thunder’s long, well-earned rest. As Denver was battling to the end with the Clippers in a slug fest, Oklahoma City was nursing its wounds and resting its legs.

The Thunder’s youthfulness and rest was always going to have an impact on this second round series, but it was just in a different way than expected. Oklahoma City didn’t come out of the gates with its hair on fire, and Denver didn’t come out of the gates exhausted from a brutal series. It was always going to take a few games to see the real wear and tear come into play, and the Nuggets are certainly starting to look exhausted. 

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After acing clutch time minutes early on in the series, Denver has been dominated in the fourth quarter in back to back games. The Thunder’s bench is dominating, and the depth is incomparable. Finally, Oklahoma City is looking like the team that earned a week-long rest, and Denver is looking like the team that has an exhausted, short-handed rotation.

That’s why Oklahoma City has to put the final nail in the coffin Game 6. This Thunder team has positioned itself perfectly to put away a tired Nuggets team. If Denver finds the strength and endurance to push this series to Game 7, all bets are off — exhaustion no longer matters when you’re staring Game 7 in the face.

Oklahoma City has, arguably, been the better team in every game this series, and had a few late game situations gone differently, this series might be over already. But the Thunder cannot bask in an impressive Game 5 win and wait until Game 7 at home to close it out. That’s a dangerous bet — especially against the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic. The Thunder must take advantage of the opportunity they created and end this game in Denver, leaving no room for mistake.

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