Game 7s often require unlikely heroes. And Jalen Williams, who was coming off a poor performance in Game 6 of Thunder vs. Nuggets, certainly stepped up to the huge stage on Sunday.
Oklahoma City's 24-year-old forward led the charge in his team's 125-93 victory in Game 7 against Denver, with the Thunder now due for a Western Conference Finals matchup against the Timberwolves.
Williams shot just 3-for-16 (18.8%) from the floor on Thursday, which partially led to the Nuggets forcing a win-or-go-home matchup. But the first-time All-Star then recovered in front of his home crowd Sunday, setting OKC up nicely in its blowout win.
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Here's a look at Williams' stats and highlights in Game 7 vs. Denver on Sunday.
Jalen Williams Game 7 stats vs. Nuggets
- Points: 24
- Rebounds: 5
- Assists: 7
- Steals: 1
- Blocks: 0
- Turnovers: 1
- Fouls: 0
- FG: 10-17
- 3P: 2-5
- FT: 2-3
Williams had one of the best quarters of his young NBA career in Game 7, as all 17 of his first-half points came in the second frame, including eight made shots. That 17-point outburst played a significant role in Oklahoma City taking command of the elimination game, going on a run before halftime.
He then added another seven points in the second half with the Thunder cruising to a Game 7 win.
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Jalen Williams highlights vs. Nuggets
Williams' barrage of points came in the second quarter, including a made floater while he also drew a foul on Christian Braun.
THUNDER ON A 19-5 RUN RIGHT NOW 👀 https://t.co/iEnVEE77NM pic.twitter.com/buGdOAOAav
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2025
He was the spark of the Thunder's huge run before halftime, including a 3-pointer and fastbreak dunk in the span of around 30 seconds.
J-DUB 3 👌
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2025
J-DUB DUNK 😤
He's got 15 PTS on 7-11 FGM!
OKC on a 7-0 run in the 2Q on ABC! pic.twitter.com/If75VcLujT
One of the highlights of the first half came from Williams, who stripped the ball from Nikola Jokic, poked it away, bounced it to himself then dunked it to make it a double-digit Thunder lead.
What a run from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shai hits the pullup 3, Denver tries to respond by getting the ball to Jokic. Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso able to get steals, OKC scores in transition. pic.twitter.com/K0n6s6CP0f
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 18, 2025