Last night, the Thunder had the chance to put the Nuggets series to bed. But they failed to come out with the sense of urgency required to get the job done. Even when they gained a commanding 12-point lead in the second quarter, they could not hold on to it for very long. Nikola Jokic and Co. muscled a quick turnaround and beat the OKC team to force Game 7. Now, the pressure is on the Thunder to not repeat the same mistakes when they fight to save their season on Sunday. And Chet Holmgren knows exactly what they need to work on.
Following the tough loss, Holmgren addressed the Thunder’s one glaring concern that cost them in Game 6, “That’s a high-level game on the road right there. They (Nuggets) came ready to play, and they came out swinging, throwing punches. I feel like we did a good job of handling that first punch and then responding… but we have to figure out how to sustain that better throughout the game.”
Yes, OKC’s inability to sustain their momentum for a longer period and bouncing back from deficits is what caused their twelve-point lead to slip away. As a result, they were left chasing the score for the rest of the game. If left unfixed, Chet believes that could be a problem in Game 7. “We can’t let them go on big runs, energy momentum plays and things like that.” He added.
Chet Holmgren:
“That’s a high level game on the road right there. They came ready to play, and they came out swinging, throwing punches. I feel like we did a good job of handling that first punch and then responding… but we have to figure out how to sustain that better…
— Nick Gallo (@NickAGallo) May 16, 2025
Moreover, the big man also took accountability for his lacklustre defense, “Places I could definitely be better where we could clean up and make things tougher on them. You can’t give a good team easy looks.” Although Chet scored a 19-point double-double, he did not have much impact on defense. Maybe, some of it was because of his early game injury scare. Midway through the second quarter, Chet hit the deck hard after seemingly colliding with Nikola Jokic during a layup attempt. Thankfully, he was not seriously hurt by the fall. While he continued playing, the scary play might have played a role in him losing focus. Hopefully, that will not be the case this Sunday.
Chet Holmgren reveals mindset for Game 7 as Mark Daigneault details back and forth with Nuggets
Following last night’s loss, the fate of Thunder’s season depends on Sunday’s game. And Holmgren has his focus clear this time, “The mindset is exactly what it is. It’s win or go home. There is no trying to keep anything in the tank.” He aims to bring his A game and give everything he has in the tank to ensure OKC’s victory. Meanwhile, Mark Daigneault will also enter the contest with a similar mindset, “We need to be who we’ve been all season and embrace the opportunity that’s in front of us… We’re obviously disappointed in the outcome tonight but when the ball goes up in the air, we’ll be excited to go.”
The head coach understands that this series has been a back-and-forth battle with the Nuggets and last night, the Denver team gained the upper hand. But that should not deter OKC’s focus, “Credit Denver, they threw a punch tonight as has happened in this series, I mean both teams are exchanging blows. And they got theirs in tonight. Both teams have done a great job of standing back up, including us and we need to do that on Sunday.”
With both teams fighting to save their season, Game 7 promises to be a thrilling encounter. Whose side are you on?
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