The Denver Nuggets suffered another disastrous loss tonight, going down 112-105 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 to go down 3-2 in the second round series.
An incredible Nikola Jokic game wasn’t enough to make up for poor three-point shooting around him. Outside of Jokic, the Nuggets shot 8-of-39 from distance and didn’t make a single three in the fourth quarter. They were sporting an eight-point lead, but the Thunder won the quarter 34-19 with relentless defense and great offensive process that generated open threes consistently.
It’s a heartbreaker for Denver, who needed one of Game 4 or Game 5 to go their way to feel good about the series. Instead, they will be playing for their season on Thursday in Game 6.
Here’s the Notes from Game 5:
First Quarter:
- Nuggets got off to a slow start again and went down early. They couldn’t make any jumpers to start the game
- Forcing turnovers and driving the paint got them back into the game, and eventually, Christian Braun helped them get out of the muck with some open three-point makes
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggling early but Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were getting rebounds and cuts around Denver’s smaller players
- Nikola Jokic playing cool, calm, and consistent early, locked in on his floater game and creating space around the rim
Nuggets lead 28-27 after first quarter.
Second Quarter:
- Extended Julian Strawther minutes that he earned and backed up with some good play on both ends of the floor
- Westbrook struggling to score and trying to thread the needle too often on some passes, though he did have three first half assists
- Jokic’s jumper was falling when he got back into the game
- Some really bad Murray turnovers in this half just not seeing the passing lanes close before throwing a dangerous pass
- After making two three-pointers earlier, Braun’s three-point shot deserted him when Denver needed it
- Denver looked like they were extending a lead, but the Thunder kept it close and ultimately closed the gap before halftime with a 9-0 run of their own
Nuggets lead 56-54 at halftime.
Third Quarter:
- Murray and Jokic opened up the quarter with some vintage shotmaking. Murray especially got it going with some impressive buckets
- Nuggets once again not getting anything from Porter. His defense and rebounding were fine, but the offensive end of the floor just wasn’t helping Denver at all
- Gordon missing some shots for the first time in what feels like forever. Then, of course, he hits a big shot
- Insane offensive foul called on Jokic for running through Jaylin Williams’ outstretched arm that impeded Jokic’s progress
- Watson and Strawther playing well. Not perfectly, but they were serviceable while getting the starters a break
- Denver feeling pretty good heading into the fourth quarter after extending the lead a bit
Nuggets lead 86-78 after third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
- Jokic starts the fourth quarter. He ended up playing the entire way and didn’t tired offensively, but he did give up a couple possessions defensively
- Westbrook and Porter both struggling in this game. Watson and Strawther playing reasonably well. Who does David Adelman close with? It was MPJ, and it was clearly the wrong decision in retrospect
- Three HUGE Lu Dort three-pointers in a row helped OKC stay attached and ultimately take a lead
- SGA also getting into rhythm as a scorer and Braun and others couldn’t stop him
- Jokic responding in real time with some absolutely incredible shotmaking, including a Sombor Shuffle from beyond the three-point line that hit nothing but the bottom of the net
- SGA creating shots consistently for others as the Nuggets overreacted to his shotmaking and left other shooters and cutters wide open
- Ultimately, it was a 34-19 fourth quarter for the Thunder as the Nuggets ran out of gas at exactly the wrong time
Nuggets lose 112-105 vs Oklahoma City Thunder.
Short Takeaway
This was a heartbreaker for Denver. An incredible Nikola Jokic game that saw him rack up 44 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists on an efficient 17-of-25 from the field and 5-of-7 from three. The rest of the team shot 8-of-39 from three-point range on primarily catch-and-shoot jumpers created by Jokic and the Nuggets interior scoring. Denver just wasn’t clutch down the stretch outside of Jokic. He made about as many plays as could be expected, but the Nuggets around him shot 1-of-15 in the fourth quarter. The one make was a concession basket given up to Murray at the end of the game.
In Game 3, Jokic struggled, but the Nuggets picked him up with great performances across the board to help win an overtime thriller. Since then, the team just hasn’t had enough energy to get through these moments. Jokic gave as big of a boost as he possibly could have, but the Nuggets outside shotmaking just sold them out tonight. Porter was a no-show with two points and 0-of-5 from three. He hasn’t made a three-pointer since Game 3. Gordon shot 1-of-5 from deep. Christian Braun shot 2-of-8, a near mirror of his 2-of-9 performance in Game 3. Westbrook airballed on several occasions. Murray shot 3-of-13 from distance. He had some contested shots that it’s understandable to miss, but he also had some wide open shots that didn’t go down either.
Ultimately, the Nuggets lost another game they were in position to win in the closing minutes because they ran out of gas. That’s a bad sign for the final two games of the series. Can they dig deep and push through in a Game 6 at home? Can they do it again in Game 7 on the road? That’s the gauntlet facing the Nuggets against the 68-win OKC Thunder. It might be an impossible task.
If Denver’s shooters don’t show up at home, it will be their last game of the season.
Final Rotations
