Former KU guard Christian Braun comes up big for Denver Nuggets to force Game 7
Former University of Kansas guard Christian Braun turned in an epic performance in an elimination NBA playoff game Thursday night, helping keep alive the Denver Nuggets’ hopes of advancing to the 2025 NBA Western Conference Finals.
Braun, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound, 24-year-old third-year pro, scored 23 points on torrid 8-of-14 shooting (3-of-6 from 3; 4-of-4 from the line) with 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals and one blocked shot in the Nuggets’ 119-107 victory over Oklahoma City in Game 6 of the conference semifinals in Denver.
According to statmuse.com, Braun became the youngest player in Nuggets history to have more than 20 points, 10 or more rebounds, five or more assists and three or more steals in a playoff game.
His 23 points marked a playoff career high, surpassing the 21 points he scored in a Game 7 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the 2025 playoffs. His 11 rebounds were second most he’s grabbed in a playoff contest. He had 13 boards in Game 1 of the first round against the Clippers.
Braun now has three playoff double-doubles in his three seasons in the league.
Braun, who played 39 minutes, also guarded OKC standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting (2-of-4 from 3 and 8-of-11 from the line). Gilgeous-Alexander contributed six assists in 35 minutes.
Asked what the key to scoring 23 points was Thursday, Braun told media members in the winners’ locker room: “Getting the same shots and knocking them down. We were getting good shots. We’ve been getting good looks throughout the whole series. We haven’t been knocking them down. That’s my fault, too.
“The biggest part for me is playing defense on their best player. Obviously our whole team was really good tonight,” he added.
Denver forward Nikola Jokic led the way with 29 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Jamal Murray had 25 points and eight rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. had 10 points and four boards. Meanwhile Julian Strawther had 15 points off the bench in 20 minutes.
“I think C.B. played really well,” Jokic told reporters after the game.
The Denver Post’s Luca Evans wrote of Braun: “(He was the) best player on the floor for the first half of Game Six.”
“He nailed three 3s in the first half to quell shooting woes, including a stepback to kick off a 12-0 Denver run shortly before the break. He’s been key as a relentless point-of-attack defender, from James Harden in Round 1 to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Round 2. And he out-hustled the Thunder on Thursday, with two third-quarter offensive boards and 11 total rebounds on the night.
“Regardless of the Game 7 outcome, Braun can take all that ink, slam on the desk of interim GM Ben Tenzer (or whoever is in that chair this summer), and demand a hefty raise. He’ll become eligible for an extension heading into next year with his rookie contract expiring come 2025-26. And Braun’s status should be high on the list of the Nuggets’ offseason priorities,” Evans added.
Denver on Sunday will be trying to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2023 and third time since 2020. Game time for Game 7 is 2:30 p.m. Central in OKC.
“We have a ton of confidence, everybody in this room,” Braun said after the series-tying victory. “We’ve been in that moment. We understand it’s a little bit different playing there. We’ve played a Game 7 (vs. Clippers). They haven’t. It’s going to be a really fun game. We’ve got to lock down on the defensive end. We got to do a good job for four quarters. We’ll be ready. We get two days of rest. We are excited for the moment.”
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Former KU guard Christian Braun comes up big for Denver Nuggets to force Game 7."
