SAN ANTONIO — If the are going to win their first Game 7 in 41 years, they’re going to need to channel ’s inspiring play from Thursday night and erase the sting of another questionable screen on .
The last time the Nuggets won a Game 7 was the 1978 playoffs. Saturday night against the Spurs is their latest shot at history.
In his first potential closeout game, Jokic authored arguably the most complete performance of his career in the Nuggets’ Game 6 loss to the Spurs. Jokic tallied a career-high 43 points, but it would be shortsighted to say he forced any of his 30 shots. Jokic played selflessly and the ball continued to find him.
For the Nuggets to improve their all-time record to 2-2 in Game 7s, Jokic needs to be the lynchpin of Denver’s free-flowing offense, especially when you consider the nerves of an elimination game. The postseason hadn’t hampered Jokic’s production in the slightest. After six games and near triple-double averages, itap clear San Antonio’s Jakob Poeltl has nothing for Jokic’s savvy finishes and clever footwork.
What Poeltl does have, though, is a budding reputation as a questionable screen setter. For the third time this series, Poeltl sent a Nuggets player reeling in pain after one of his extended picks. Murray, who took several knocks from various Spurs players, caught his second Poeltl knee of the series early in the third quarter Thursday night.
Murray laid face-first on the ground for eight seconds before he was finally able to roll over onto his right side.
The Spurs eventually pulled away, winning 120-103, to force Saturday’s winner-take-all Game 7, but that hardly alleviated concerns from Nuggets coach Michael Malone about the play.
“I think there have been some illegal screens that have been missed, and the response from the league (after the Nuggets submitted the plays for review) has been that we’re right,” Malone said. “But for some reason, they don’t catch them during the game. Obviously, Jamal got taken out on that play. I don’t know if it was dirty or not.”
With 10:38 left in the third quarter of Game 6, Spurs point guard Derrick White rolled right along the perimeter as Poeltl appeared to extend his left knee into Murray’s thigh. White was freed for an open 3-pointer, which he missed.
“I think I am setting legal screens,” Poeltl said afterward. “If I’m not, somebody is going to let me know about it. I’m not really worried about it.”
The Nuggets collected the rebound and then immediately called timeout as the team’s trainer tended to Murray. Malone went straight to an official, pointing at Murray on the ground as he made his case.
The Nuggets staff was told by officials that Nikola Jokic had pushed Poeltl into Murray, and therefore there was no illegal screen.
Murray, who finished the game with 16 points on 7-of-19 shooting, stayed in the game and buried a floater on the next shot. Minutes later, with the Nuggets trailing 71-67, Murray was called for an offensive foul after shoving Poeltl in the chest.
Murray, who declined to speak to reporters after the game, was also clipped by Poeltl in Game 3 while trying to run past a screen. Nuggets guard took a knee to the thigh from Poeltl in Game 5.
Regardless of intent, the Nuggets need to regroup before Saturday. They were outscored 30-18 in the fourth quarter, allowed San Antonio to shoot 57 percent from the field, and spoiled Jokic’s special night.
“We need to go there and give our best,” Jokic said of a Game 7. “Just go out there and work and punch people, play physical, setting screens, whatever we need to do just to get the win.”
