OKC Thunder Need to Control the Glass Against Nuggets in Game 7

The Thunder haven't always been the greatest rebounding team, but they need to perform well in that area to keep the season alive.

May 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) battle for a rebound as center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) defends in the fourth quarter during game four of the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s season will come down to one game, and one stat could decide the result.

Throughout this series, the Thunder have struggled to live up to the expectations of a 68-win team. Despite their struggles, the Thunder are still in the driver’s seat on their path to a championship.

The Denver Nuggets have often looked like the better team in this series and appeared to have the best player, with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic leading the charge. Although Jokic hasn’t had a great overall shooting series and has been flustered with Oklahoma City’s defense, he has still made a significant impact on the boards, and the rebounding effort could be the deciding factor in Game 7.

The Thunder’s rebounding was an issue for the past few seasons, but the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein has been massive. With the double-big lineup of Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder must use their size as an advantage and secure the glass.

Oklahoma City will also need to see an improved effort on the boards from its guards and wings as well, with Russell Westbrook and Christian Braun making significant impacts on the glass for Denver this series despite their size.

Across the first six games of this series, the team to win the rebounding battle is 4-2, with each team winning three times. Oklahoma City has lost the rebounding battle in the past two games, making a bounce-back performance in that area in the deciding matchup critical.

Throughout NBA history, teams that have won the rebounding battle in Game 7 are 108-38, which is good for advancing nearly 74% of the time. That becomes an even larger point of emphasis for the Thunder when looking at home teams winning the rebounding battle. When the team hosting Game 7 wins the rebounding battle, they have a record of 83-13, winning over 86% of the time.

There are plenty of other factors that will go into determining Game 7. From the turnover battle to which role players can knock down threes, rebounding is just one key for Sunday’s game. However, the importance of winning the glass has never been more important for the Thunder, and they likely need to have a big performance to keep their season alive.