Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets had one foot out the door heading into game 6 of their Playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But tonight, they showed up defiant and undeterred. And after a hard-fought first half, the Nuggets flipped the script on OKC and ran away with the third and fourth quarters, outscoring them 61-46 in that period to win the game. But Jamal knows the real test is not over, and he made sure his teammates knew too.

After the game, Murray spoke to the media. It was quite the telling conversation where he revealed a lot — about his illness, his mindset heading into the game, and his teammates’ performance tonight. But in appreciating his peers, he made sure to remind them of what’s at stake when they visit the Thunder for game 7.

“Amazing. I mean, like I said, they brought the right energy. Not just making shots, but their intent, their focus, their awareness on what’s going on around them, and we need every much of it. Or more. You know, it’s nice. Tonight’s just another step in the right direction, but we got a huge game in two days,” said Murray.

It can’t be stressed enough how well the players on this Nuggets team stepped up tonight. Murray himself played through the flu a la Michael Jordan. But it wasn’t just him. 23-year-old Julian Strawther went ballistic from the 3-point line making 75% of his shots from beyond the arc. He’s averaged only 7.3 minutes in this postseason. Yet he stepped up when his team needed him the most. But can he and his teammates do it again?

Well, if anyone knows the pressures of a game 7, it’s the Denver Nuggets. After all, this is their second consecutive 7-game series after the LA Clippers took them to Game 7 in the first round. They’ve definitely got their backs against the wall — facing the Thunder, who have home-court advantage in this high-stakes game.

And the media even asked Jamal about this. After all, it is his first-ever Game 7 on the road. But Jamal seems to know what he and his teammates need to do in the upcoming game to get to the Western Conference Finals.

Jamal Murray reveals the Nuggets’ key to victory in Game 7 against OKC

The last time the Denver Nuggets played a Game 7 away from home was against the Lakers in 2012. Things were a whole lot different back then. Kobe Bryant was still playing for the Lakers. And Jamal Murray? He was still a 15-year-old from Canada with a dream of playing in the NBA someday.

And even if Jamal is an NBA champ now, who’s played his fair share of Game 7s, this one is still different. It’s at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City against the winningest team in the league this season. Knowing this, a reporter asked Jamal Murray if it added to the challenge in this upcoming game. But Jamal’s response showed that he’s aware of the challenge and knows what he and his team need to do in the face of it.

“You gotta stay together, you gotta bring your own energy. You gotta go in the right mindset. And, I think it’s just gonna force us to be more together, build more trust, and stuff like that. So I think it’s a great opportunity,” said the 28-year-old. He also brought up the fact that the Nuggets know what it’s like to play and win there. “You know, we’ve beat them there [in] game one,” he reminded the media.

All this paints a pretty confident image for the Nuggets heading into Game 7. A lot of their key players stepped up tonight. And if they can do the same at the Paycom Center in two days’ time…Well, they might just get the opportunity to avenge their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who cost them an opportunity to repeat as champions in last year’s Playoffs.