The Oklahoma City Thunder might face a Nuggets team that doesn't have one of their best players in Game 6 at Ball Arena. Jamal Murray popped up on the injury report with an illness and is questionable for what's a win-or-stay-home game for Denver.
Murray is coming off his highest-scoring game of the series, as he dropped 28 points in OKC's win on Tuesday. It wasn't an efficient 28 points, though. He shot 10-of-27 from the field and 3-of-13 from three (23.1%). The Thunder know that he could flip a switch in Game 6, considering how a few of his past elimination games went.
It's unclear what illness Murray is dealing with, but if he can't play, that'd be a tough blow for the Nuggets. It'd put even more pressure on Nikola Jokic, who dropped 44 points in Game 5.
Jamal Murray listed as questionable ahead of pivotal Game 6
Mark Daigneault will ensure his team is prepared for Denver, with or without Murray. A loss would mean the series returns to Paycom Center — an electric environment — but you can't give an experienced team like Denver another chance. If Murray doesn't play tonight, he might be ready to play in Game 7.
The Thunder's biggest advantage over the Nuggets is their depth. It showed the past two games when OKC rallied back from deficits to beat Denver, especially in Game 5. The Nuggets ran out of gas down the stretch and didn't have anyone hitting shots outside of Jokic, including Murray, who missed nine of his last 10 shots.
The dream scenario for OKC fans would be the Thunder jumping out to an early lead like they did in Game 2, not letting their foot off the gas. The Timberwolves beat the Warriors in five games on Wednesday, so they're waiting to find out if they'll play the Thunder or Nuggets. The sooner Oklahoma City can finish the series, the better.