With the series tied at 2-2 between the Thunder and Nuggets, tensions were high for Tuesday night’s Game 5. The first four games had produced some solid basketball, but we hadn’t been treated to a truly great game in which both MVP candidates were able to showcase their greatness.
Well, that all changed in Game 5 as both Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were outstanding, going blow for blow down the stretch of this basketball game, doing everything to will their teams across the finish line.
Jokic tallied 44 points on 17-25 shooting and 5-7 on threes to go along with 15 rebounds and 5 assists. He scored 13 of Denver’s 19 points in the fourth quarter and made every big play for his team down the stretch, including an incredible circus-shot of a three to tie the game at 103 in the final minutes.
But it wasn’t enough to top the Thunder as SGA put up 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, with 10 of those points and 3 of those assists coming in the fourth quarter. The difference in this one ended up being the supporting casts, though, as the rest of the Thunder players were lights out down the stretch, and multiple players hit huge shots for OKC.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, got just 6 points on 1-15 shooting in the fourth quarter from all players not named Nikola Jokic.
Nuggets’ team record will cost Jokic MVP Award
This game and the fourth quarter were emblematic of this entire MVP race. SGA is the best player on the best team. He’s the offensive engine for a team that went 68-14 in the regular season behind an elite defense.
Jokic is the best player in the world, but his team is flawed, and he is forced to carry them to relevance almost single-handedly. The Thunder finished 18 games ahead of the Nuggets in the standings, and at the end of the day, that will likely be the biggest reason why Gilgeous-Alexander hoists the MVP trophy.
And that was all summed up in the fourth quarter of this critical Game 5. Shai was great, his teammates all stepped up around him, and the defense was stellar, carrying the Thunder to the huge victory. Jokic was just as great, if not greater, but his supporting cast let him down and cost him the win.
Luckily, there is still a chance for the Nuggets’ complementary players to redeem themselves as they can make everything right by coming through in Games 6 and 7. They did it in Game 3, they did it last round against the Clippers, and hopefully, they can get it done again and help keep Denver’s season alive.