Will Nikola Jokić or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander come out on top in MVP-centric Game 7?

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On this day in 1980, rookie point guard Magic Johnson filled in at center for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. He scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out seven assists in a 123-107 win. Magic won his first of five championships in a nine-year stretch.

Game 7 👀

Thunder-Nuggets to decide series on Sunday

Maybe it was the shame of going 1-of-15 as a group while you watched Nikola Jokić try to pull you to victory in a Game 5 loss. Maybe it was the comfort of being at home in Denver. Maybe it was some championship experience residue leftover from 2023. Whatever it was, the Nuggets not named Jokić stepped up in the second half of their 119-107 Game 6 victory over the Thunder, and now we get a Game 7 on Sunday to finish out this series.

Big Honey was still his typical, brilliant self. He got back to a much more balanced, measured game with 29 points (9-of-14 shooting, 10-of-12 from the line), 14 rebounds, eight assists and just one turnover in 41 minutes. Despite being ill throughout the day, Jamal Murray gave the Nuggets 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Christian Braun had 23 points. But it was a surprise contributor off the bench who provided enough of a spark to keep the Thunder at bay.

In the second half, Julian Strawther came out of nowhere to score all 15 of his points. He seemed to score them in a flurry, like a prize fighter unloading a succession of quick blows to the opposition. It was enough to knock the Thunder off their game. And it sets up the two most beautiful words in sports: second apron Game Seven.

What Nuggets must do to advance

1. Help out Jokić. See what happens when you provide some help? When they won Game 1, Jokić was awesome, Murray and Aaron Gordon both scored in the 20s, and Russell Westbrook had 18 off the bench. When they won Game 3, Jokić had a lot of turnovers, but he was still awesome. And four different starters, including Big Honey, scored at least 20 points. Last night? Jokić and two other starters in the 20s, and Strawther had a big game off the bench.
2. Get to the free-throw line. The team who wins the free-throw line battle in this series is 5-1. It isn’t just about getting free throws. It’s what it means for the game. It means you’re being aggressive, physical and forcing the opponent into bad situations.
3. Win the fourth quarter. Let’s throw out Game 2 because that was a 43-point blowout. The fourth quarter didn’t matter in the game. In the other five games, the winner of the fourth quarter won. You have to close strong in this matchup.

What Thunder must do to advance

1. Keep forcing turnovers. They’ve pretty much won the turnover battle in every game. I know it’s 3-3 now, but that’s going to wear down the opponent and continue to create opportunities for your transition offense. And it keeps Jokić from either getting a shot or having a chance at the offensive boards.
2. Knock down some 3-pointers. In two of their three wins in this series, the Thunder shot over 40 percent from 3-point range. They gutted out a 92-87 win in the other one. We know they can win ugly, but they really need to hit some 3-pointers. In their three losses, they’re shooting just 29.6 percent from deep.
3. Is Jalen Williams available? Does their other All-Star want to join Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at all? Where has he been? I’ve seen him on the court, but he doesn’t appear to be doing much on offense when he’s there. When they lost to Dallas last year, he struggled, making just 42.4 percent of his shots in that series, during which he averaged 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists. This series? 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists, but his shooting has plummeted to 33.7 percent overall and 21.2 percent from deep. Feel free to do something in Game 7.

Regardless, we’re getting the two leading MVP candidates facing off in a Game 7 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. (Watch on Fubo for free!)

The Last 24

Will we get a big NBA Draft trade?

🏀 Pre-draft Notes. Sam Vecenie opens up his draft combine notebook. Will the Spurs keep the second pick? 

🏀 Always moving forward. David Aldridge details how Rick Carlisle is always trying to improve himself.

🐺 Old man delivers. The Wolves got a vintage, perfect performance in Game 5. Thankfully, Mike Conley stepped up. 

☀️ Another lawsuit. A Suns employee is suing the franchise for discrimination and harassment. This is the fourth such employee in seven months.

🔮 Coulda been. Steve Kerr believes the Warriors could’ve gone the distance … if Steph was healthy.

🎧 Tuning in. Today’s “NBA Daily” examines why the young Thunder couldn’t close out the championship-tested Nuggets.

The Basketball 100

The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.

The story of the greatest players in NBA history.

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Season On the Line … Again

What to expect from Knicks-Celtics Game 6

The Pacers are just sitting there, waiting to see what the Knicks are going to do in this second-round series. If the Knicks win either Game 6 or Game 7, then we’re going to be whisked away to the magical time of the Year 2000, when the Knicks and Pacers last played each other in the Eastern Conference finals. Yes, they faced each other in the second round last year, but that’s for amateurs! We’re talking about a trip to the NBA Finals on the line! And everybody is healthy!

If the Celtics manage to make the full comeback, not only will Knicks fans implode, but we’ll get a rematch of last year’s ECF. Either way, we’re going to get a pretty fun matchup, even without Jayson Tatum in the mix. We have to get to the conference finals first, and that’s going to likely be determined by the outside shooting.

In the Orlando series, the Celtics looked like themselves when shooting the ball.

• Contested 3-pointers: 1.6 out of 4.6 attempts per game (34.7 percent)
• Open 3-pointers: 5.8 out of 16.0 attempts per game (36.3 percent)
• Wide-open 3-pointers: 4.4 out of 10.6 attempts per game (41.5 percent)

Boston will take that accuracy, but it wanted way more attempts. Now, let’s look at the Celtics against the Knicks. This is how they have shot in the three losses:

• Contested 3-pointers: 0.7 out of 3.3 attempts per game (20.0 percent)
• Open 3-pointers: 6.3 out of 23.3 attempts per game (27.1 percent)
• Wide-open 3-pointers: 7.3 out of 22.7 attempts per game (32.4 percent)

Yikes! They’re getting the attempts up, which they love to do. But they’re simply not hitting 3-pointers. And think about it this way. One of those losses? They hit 37.5 percent from deep. That’s how bad this has been. Let’s see their numbers in the two wins.

• Contested 3-pointers: 3.0 out of 6.5 attempts per game (46.2 percent)
• Open 3-pointers: 5.5 out of 17.5 attempts per game (31.4 percent)
• Wide-open 3-pointers: 12.5 out of 20.0 attempts per game (62.5 percent)

OK, that’s more like it. The open 3s still aren’t really falling, but the wide-open looks they’re generating are essentially layups. This high variance in their shooting is the difference. And it’s what will either help them come back against the Knicks or send them home tonight or Monday. The Knicks have a difference of fewer than 7 percentage points from deep in their wins and losses in this series. The Celtics have a difference of about 18 percentage points.

It’s a make-or-miss league. Boston is a feast-or-famine team. And now it’s win or go on vacation.

Bounce Passes

Word association with Sabreena Merchant

The WNBA enjoyed a record-breaking 2024 season with Caitlin Clark’s rookie campaign, A’ja Wilson’s individual dominance, Diana Taurasi’s capper to a legendary career and the Liberty finally breaking through in both one of the more controversial, dramatic, and best WNBA Finals we’ve ever seen. Tonight, the 2025 season tips off with three games, highlighted by Paige Bueckers making her league debut against the Lynx.

We have predictions for you. We’ve got championship odds of which teams to believe in the most. And you know we had to get Sabreena Merchant in here to answer some questions and even play a game with us to help preview this season. Make sure to check out her article on whether or not the Chicago Sky can build a winner around Angel Reese. Sabreena’s in Dallas for the Bueckers debut, so let’s start getting some answers on the upcoming season.

Caitlin Clark has the best betting odds for winning MVP. Is this a real likelihood, or do you think this is because the public money is pushing the odds this way? What’s a reasonable expectation with her in Year 2? 

Sabreena: It’s fair to argue that Clark finished the 2024 season as the third-best player in the WNBA. After the All-Star break, she averaged 23.1 points and 8.9 assists per game while making 37 percent of her 3s. With a full offseason of recovery and a pro-level strength training program, I’d expect Clark to look that good from the get-go, especially with a proven head coach in Stephanie White and better teammates around her. Being on a winning team will also help Clark’s candidacy, as voters tend to favor players near the top of the league standings. I wouldn’t put Clark as the favorite — that honor would go to Wilson or Napheesa Collier — but she is very much in the mix. She should be on first-team all-WNBA, and putting MVP betting money behind a top-five player is totally reasonable.

The Liberty are favored to win it all. The Aces have the next-best odds. The Lynx are fourth. If you can’t pick the Liberty to repeat, whom do you feel the most confident in?

Sabreena: A day ago, I felt most confident about the Lynx. But Kayla McBride, their second-leading scorer from last season, still hasn’t reported, and rotation players Alanna Smith and Karlie Samuelson are nursing some injuries heading into opening night. Plus, coach Cheryl Reeve has seemed pissed off with the effort level in training camp. I think I’ll still ride with the Lynx because of Collier’s brilliance and my general belief that preseason doesn’t matter much. But if McBride isn’t back soon, I have real reservations.

I wanted to try something different with Sabreena instead of a third question in the Q&A. Instead, I decided to play word association with her using some WNBA names. First thing that came to mind, she had to go with and then I put them on this digital notecard. It’s the peak of technology!

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( Photo: Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today Network via Imagn Images )

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