The Julian Strawther game. The Zag saved Denver’s season.
Without his eight-point burst from the 3:03 mark to the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets don’t push this series to a Game 7 against the Thunder. Off the bench in the must-win situation, Strawther scored a total of 15 points on 4-for-8 field goals, 3-for-4 three-pointers, and 4-for-4 free throws in 20 minutes during the 119-107 victory at Ball Arena in Denver.
Dating back to his days with Gonzaga, Strawther has been a catch-and-shoot killer all across the three-point line. Hitting clutch shot after clutch shot is nothing new for the 6-6 wing. Most memorable coming against the UCLA Bruins in his hometown of Las Vegas to push the Zags into the 2023 Elite Eight in the closing seconds.
“That’s the moments that you dream of as a little kid. Coming into the game, having all the guys believe in you, find you in your spots and be able to just make an impact on the game.”- Julian Strawther via Denver Gazette
Strawther becomes the ninth Gonzaga player to score 15+ points in an NBA playoff game, joining a list of memorable Zags (John Stockton, Kelly Olynyk, Domantas Sabonis, Brandon Clarke, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Suggs, Andrew Nembhard, and Chet Holmgren).
The second-year guard averaged 9.0 points on a shooting split of 43.2 field goal percentage/34.9 three-point percentage/82.2 free throw percentage plus 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game during the 2024-25 regular season. Despite dealing with knee and ankle injuries, he still ended up playing 65 games for the Nuggets with four being starts.
Game 7 in the Western Conference Semifinals against Holmgren’s Thunder takes place on Sunday, May 18. ABC will have the call at 12:30 p.m. PT in Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho
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