OKLAHOMA CITY — The only noises to be heard in “Loud City” early Sunday afternoon were nervous murmurs and clanging wayward jumpers, which is not at all what the Paycom Center crowd had in mind for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s biggest home game in nine years.

Jamal Murray fought through an illness to score 25 points and power the Denver Nuggets past the Thunder 119-107, sending the series back to Oklahoma City for a decisive Game 7.

For all the misconstruing that happens in these NBA Playoffs, Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets brought out the OKC Thunder team Mark Daigneault recognized.

In a do-or-die scenario, the Denver Nuggets survived against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 119-107 Game 6 win. The back-and-forth affair will reach a dramatic Game 7 on Sunday. Only fitting considering the West heavyweights have exchanged blows.

Nuggets vs. Thunder. Nikola Jokić vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Game 7! Sunday's high-stakes showdown (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) will conclude a dramatic second round of the NBA playoffs. Who will move ...

The hypotheticals are more nuanced this year. It was all soberingly simple in 2024. In a series of blowouts, the Nuggets would’ve advanced past Minnesota if they had just protected that 20-point lead in Game 7. There were no other distinct moments that swung the outcome. Just one unambiguous collapse.