A crushing defeat in the tiebreak, 3-4 out, the Nuggets players scores were released after the game, the three perform abnormally, and it is time to reflect on it

On May 19, 2025, this heartbreaking night for Nuggets fans, in the NBA Playoff Western Conference Semi-Finals tiebreak, the Nuggets lost to the Thunder with a huge gap of 93-125, and missed the Western Conference Finals 3-4. After this game, the performance ratings of Nuggets players have become a hot topic among fans and the media. Who should be responsible for this loss? As the core of the team, Jokic scored 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in the game. Although the data is relatively comprehensive, the number of shots was only 9, and there were only 1 shot in the second half. This mainly stems from the Thunder's key defense against him, and he encountered double-teams throughout the game, which greatly reduced his influence on the offensive end. However, even in such a dilemma, he still continued his firepower for the team through a stable free throw (9 of 11 free throws). Overall, Jokic's performance can score 7 points. He has done what he can do, but the overall difficulties of the team make him unable to bear it.

Murray made 6 of 16 shots in this game, 1 of 8 three-pointers, and scored 13 points. As the second in command of the team, this performance is far lower than expected. Moreover, he made many mistakes in the game and was seized by his opponent to fight back. Considering that his performance has declined due to injuries or physical fitness, his performance has been reduced, but as a key player of the team, he obviously failed in the tiebreak battle, with a score of 5 points.

Russell Westbrook was a disaster-level performance in this game, making 2 of 7 shots, scoring 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and 4 turnovers, with a positive and negative value of -34 as the lowest in the game. His pass mistakes and blind fouls greatly affected the team's rhythm and morale. When the team urgently needed someone to stand up and score and stabilize the situation, he kept making mistakes, which put the team in a more passive situation, and the 3-point score was slightly higher.

Aaron Gordon played with an injury and scored 8 points and 11 rebounds. He tried his best on defense and rebounding protection, but the injury obviously affected his movement and bounce, and the offensive end failed to provide enough support to the team. Four mistakes throughout the game also gave the opponent a chance to switch points. Given his tenacity in fighting with injuries, he gave 5 points.

Christian Braun scored 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, setting a new high in his personal playoffs. He made consecutive breakthroughs in the first quarter to increase the team's firepower. However, he only made 2 of 9 three-pointers, failing to make greater contributions to the team on the outside. The overall performance is average and you can get 6 points.

Michael Porter scored only 6 points, and his presence on the court was extremely low, 0 of 4 three-pointers was not obvious to the team, whether it was offense or defense. In such a critical game, such a performance is difficult to satisfy, 4 points.

Judging from this score, Westbrook, Murray and Michael Porter's performance in this game was an important factor in the team's defeat. Of course, the team's failure cannot be entirely attributed to individual players, and there are problems in many aspects such as physical fitness problems, defensive strategies, and offensive systems. But in this tiebreak battle, these players did not play as well as they should be, and they really needed deep reflection. For the Nuggets, there are still many problems to be solved this offseason. Only by making targeted adjustments and changes can you make a comeback next season.