The Nuggets and Thunder played an instant classic Game 5 on Tuesday night, with OKC ultimately prevailing, 112-105, to take a 3-2 series lead. Both MVP candidates were brilliant in this one, especially down the stretch of this tight contest, but Denver was undone by their glaring flaw that has haunted them all season, the supporting cast of Nikola Jokic.
Late in the third quarter, the Nuggets led by 12 points and carried an 8-point lead into the fourth quarter. But in the biggest quarter of the season, the only Nugget who showed up was Jokic. The Thunder outscored the Nuggets 34-19 in the final frame as Denver, outside of the Joker, went ice cold.
Jokic put up 13 points on 4/6 shooting in the fourth quarter. The rest of his team went 1/15 from the field and scored a combined 6 points. He was absolutely sublime, going up against one of the greatest defenses the NBA has seen in years, and going toe-to-toe with the likely MVP-to-be, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in a hostile environment, and his teammates let him down.
This was in stark contrast to what was happening on the other side of the court, as SGA was great, but his role players were right there with him, helping him across the finish line. Lu Dort hit three massive threes in a row during the fourth quarter, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein both had huge finishes in crunch time, and Jalen Williams made the game-winning three-pointer in the final minutes of the game.
Non-Jokic Nuggets were brutal in Game 5
This has been the major issue in Denver all season long; outside of Jokic, the team just doesn’t have enough talent or depth. The issue has been on display all year, but Jokic has largely been incredible enough to cover every hole.
But now, it’s all catching up with them at the worst possible time, as nobody is able to step up, and the few players in the rotation are running out of gas. It sunk the Nuggets in the fourth quarter, but it was an issue all night.
Jokic finished with 44 points on 17/25 shooting and 5/7 from three. Meanwhile, the rest of the team scored 59 points on 22/70 shooting and 8/39 from three. Jamal Murray was the team’s second leading scorer with 28, but shot just 10/28, including 3/13 on threes. Aaron Gordon, who has been playing great in these playoffs, had 13 points, Christian Braun had 8, and nobody else had more than 4.
Russell Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. both had brutal shooting nights, and nobody else on the bench stepped up. This was the biggest fear for the Nuggets, and this ugly wart revealed itself at the worst time.
The season isn’t over, but it’s on the brink now. Hopefully, the Nuggets' role players will play better at home in Game 6, but there’s no margin for error anymore. They must beat the Thunder two times in a row, or the offseason will begin sooner than expected.