DENVER (AP) — Now this was finally a role Julian Strawther could sink his teeth into, even if it cost him one.
Playing meaningful extended minutes for first time in the series, the Denver Nuggets guard provided a spark off the bench as he scored all 15 of his points in the second half Thursday night. His big game helped propel Denver to a 119-107 victory over the Thunder and force a Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
“That’s the moment you dream of when you’re a little kid — come to 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,” said Strawther, a second-year player out of Gonzaga.
Strawther certainly left it all on the floor, including a tooth (a prosthetic one) that happened to pop out in the fourth quarter when he took contact from an Oklahoma City player. He tried to get the officials to stop play long enough to gather it up. But the action was already heading the other way.
A ball boy scooped it up for him in a towel and returned it to the bench. By the time Strawther addressed the media following the game, he had it back in place.
He explained that after he lost a baby tooth as a kid, the adult version — located on the right side next to his front tooth — never grew in.
“We got it back,” Strawther said.
Just like that, the Nuggets are going back to OKC. It was their sole mission after frittering away a fourth-quarter lead and losing there in Game 5.
The Nuggets bench made a big impact behind the play of Strawther, Russell Westbrook (eight points) and Peyton Watson (four).
Sure, the reserves of the Thunder outscored them 32-27n. Before Thursday, though, the average production of the bench was 34-22 through five games in favor of the Thunder.
“(Julian) was amazing,” said Nikola Jokic, who had 29 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. “He had the big points, the big moments of the game.”
Strawther finished 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the line. Above all, he helped the Nuggets maintain their momentum in the fourth quarter as Jokic sat on the bench to get some valuable rest. Strawther played 19 1/2 minutes, his playoff high.
This after being limited to 14 minutes combined over the last three games, including a “DNP” — did not play — in Game 3. Interim coach David Adelman told him to stay ready.
He listened.
“Understanding that there’s a night that I may not check in at all,” Strawther explained. "And there’s a night like tonight where he’s going to ride with me.
“Me and (Adelman) have had a transparent relationship through these playoffs, and I’m really appreciative for him throwing me out there tonight.”
His role may increase even more depending on the status of Aaron Gordon, who hurt his left hamstring late in the game.
“I feel OK. We'll see,” Gordon said after the game. “I'm going to start the recovery process now, to make sure I'm ready for a Game 7.”
Another player who found a groove was banged-up forward Michael Porter Jr., who was 4 of 9 for 10 points. He's been dealing with a sprained left shoulder.
“For me, with what I've been through, there's so much extra things I have to be on top of,” explained Porter, who said he had a lidocaine injection in his shoulder before Game 6 and plans to have another leading into Sunday. “Since I hurt my shoulder I'm not able to be on top of things like I want to. ... I don't feel as comfortable and confident in my shot as I want to feel throughout these playoffs.
“But I'm still out there and still trying to space the floor and shooting it when I'm getting it, whether it goes in or out. I just have to stay confident.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther, front, is fouled by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso in the second half of Game 6 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther gestures after hitting a 3-point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half of Game 6 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets guard Julian Strawther reacts after hitting a 3-point basket in the second half of Game 6 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The party of Kosovo 's Prime Minister Albin Kurti won an early parliamentary election Sunday in the Balkan country by a clear margin, near-complete preliminary results showed.
The Vetevendosje, or Self-Determination, party won nearly 50% of the ballots, far ahead of the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo with 21%, and the Democratic League of Kosovo with nearly 14%, the state election, authorities said after some 96% of the ballots were counted.
The snap ballot on Sunday was scheduled after the Self-Determination party failed to form a government despite also winning the most votes in a Feb. 9 election (is this correct?).
It was not immediately clear whether the Self-Determination party has won 61 seats in the 120-member parliament to be able to rule alone.
The previous postelection stalemate marked the first time Kosovo could not form a government since it declared independence from Serbia in 2008 following a 1998-99 war that ended in a NATO intervention.
Kosovo has not approved a budget for next year, sparking concern over the already poor economy in the country of 2 million people.
Lawmakers also are set to elect a new president in March as current President Vjosa Osmani’s mandate expires in early April. If this fails too, another snap election must be held.
After voting Sunday, Kurti urged Kosovo’s 1.9 million voters to turn out in large numbers to grant “more legitimacy for our institutions.”
“Once the election result is known, we will do our best to constitute a new parliament as soon as possible and to proceed with the election of the new government,” he said.
Turnout was at around 44%, according to the state election authorities.
According to Kosovo’s election laws, 20 parliamentary seats are automatically assigned to ethnic Serb representatives and other minority parties.
Opposition parties have accused Kurti of authoritarianism and of alienating Kosovo’s U.S. and European Union allies since he came to power in 2021.
Lumir Abdixhiku from the Democratic League of Kosovo urged voters to “move away from the gloom, the deadlock and the division that has accompanied us for these years.”
A former political prisoner during Serbia’s rule in Kosovo, the 50-year-old Kurti has taken a tough stand in talks mediated by the European Union on normalizing relations with Belgrade. In response, the EU and the United States imposed punitive measures.
Kurti has promised to buy military equipment to boost security.
Ilmi Deliu, a 71-year-old pensioner from the capital, Pristina, said he hoped the election will bring a change or “we will end up in an abyss.”
“Young people no longer want to live here,” he said.
Tensions with restive ethnic Serbs in the north exploded in clashes in 2023 when scores of NATO-led peacekeepers were injured. In a positive step, ethnic Serb mayors this month took power peacefully there after a municipal vote.
Kurti has also agreed to accept third-country migrants deported from the United States as part of tough anti-immigration measures by the administration of President Donald Trump. One migrant has arrived so far, authorities have told The Associated Press.
Kosovo has one of the poorest economies in Europe. It is one of the six Western Balkan countries striving to eventually join the EU, but both Kosovo and Serbia have been told they must first normalize relations.
A man folds his ballot prior to voting in early parliamentary election in Kosovo's capital Pristina, Sunday Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
A couple cast their votes in early parliamentary election in Kosovo's capital Pristina, Sunday Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Voters fill their ballots behind voting booths for early parliamentary election in Kosovo's capital Pristina, Sunday Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Kosovo's acting prime minister and leader of VeteVendosje political party Albin Kurti casts his ballot in Kosovo's capital Pristina, Sunday Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
Supporters of Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista prepare to go at a polling station and cast their ballots in an early parliamentary election in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic)
A voter arrives at a polling station in an early parliamentary election in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic)
A voter prepares her ballot at a polling station in an early parliamentary election in the northern Serb-dominated part of ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic)
People walk past a giant banner of the leader of VV (Selfdetermination) political party Albin Kurti, in the capital Pristina on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
People waiting in the iluminated bus station with banners of LDK (Democratic League of Kosovo) leader Lumir Abdixhiku in capital Pristina on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)
