In what could have been a series-clincher for the OKC Thunder, the Denver Nuggets staved off elimination on Thursday night via a commanding 119-107 win and, in turn, extended this semifinal bout to a do-or-die Game 7 set for this coming Sunday.
While many may be quick to look toward Nikola Jokic's dominant 29 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block stat line or Jalen Williams' putrid performance of 6 points on 18.8 percent shooting as reasons for the game's ultimate outcome, in truth, the most significant driving factor proved to be neither.
Instead, it was Denver's once nonexistent second unit coming to life for the first time all series that led the way to their clutch victory.
Denver's second-unit played major role in Thunder's Game 6 demise
Coming into Game 6, one of the biggest advantages the Thunder had established over the Nuggets throughout their back-and-forth series was their rotation depth, particularly the impact it has had on the offensive end.
Prior to Thursday's tip-off, OKC had regularly found themselves rolling out 10 total players on a consistent basis, while their bench ranked third in points per game averages with 33.8.
Comparatively, as had been the case all throughout the regular season, Denver had utilized a very shallow rotation, seeing just seven players receive regular stretches of playing time. In turn, it should come as no surprise that their bench unit ranked second-worst in points per game (22.0) and dead-last in offensive rating (37.8) through five games played in round two.
However, in a shocking turn of events, the Nuggets' reserves saw a surge during their must-win Game 6, as their second unit poured in 27 points, by far their best total of the series outside of the garbage-time production put forth in Game 2's blowout.
Now, while the Thunder still managed to reign supreme in the bench scoring department, leading the way by five points with a total of 32, they were dramatically outperformed during what wound up being the decisive second half of play, as Denver dropped 19 during this span, with Julian Strawther serving as the X-factor by contributing a whopping 14 on his own, while OKC recorded just 12.
In the end, this kind of uptick in play proved to be all the difference on the night, as Oklahoma City's halftime lead (61-58) quickly eroded once the Nuggets' tertiary options started to get hot.
Considering how much of a handful Denver has already proven to be with just the likes of Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon playing the way they have, having their bench come alive on top of this only presents more challenges for the Thunder.
During Sunday's winner-take-all matinee, OKC must find a way to neutralize Denver's secondary players and, in turn, send them back into a dormant state.