The Denver Nuggets now have no room for error after slipping to a Game 5 loss on the road to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets series is the most evenly contested in the semifinals across both conferences.
With OKC leading 3-2, Denver have work to do on home court in order to force a Game 7 decider.
Both teams have traded road wins already, and entering the fourth quarter of Game 5, the Nuggets had the lead.
OKC stormed ahead with a 34-19 fourth quarter to secure a 112-105 victory, despite the heroics of Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesNikola Jokic delivers big performance
Nikola Jokic had found some difficulties against a stout Oklahoma City Thunder defense during the series.
He was back to his best in Game 5, scoring 44 points in 44 minutes, on the way to an impressive double-double.
Jokic’s performance was praised on the Hoop Collective podcast, with Tim Bontemps commending his efforts to almost win the game single-handedly for his team..
“Jokic is just laughably good, like the stuff he was doing in the fourth quarter of this game, like it was, it was just an iconic performance. This is, this is a legendary player,
“Nikola Jokic came into this game, it was like, ‘hey, I’m gonna try to win this series by myself’, and he almost did.”
Jokic’s performance earned a 9.9/10 rating on Sofa Score, with the center also contributing 15 rebounds and 5 assists.
During the series, Jokic’s accuracy has fluctuated, but in Game 5 he was highly efficient, shooting 68 percent from the field and 71 percent from three.
.Nuggets teammates shot 1-15 in fourth quarter
Nikola Jokic shot 4-6 for 13 points in the fourth quarter, while the rest of his teammates combined for a pathetic 1-15 during the same period.
Jamal Murray was impressive overall with 28 points, but beyond those two, Aaron Gordon was the only player to reach double figures. Michael Porter Jr had an embarrassing two points.
Bontemps pointed out that this lack of depth ultimately cost Denver, and was one reason why the team opted to fire general manager Calvin Booth along with head coach Michael Malone with three games left of the season.
“They ran out of gas. They are playing with six guys, and their depth has not been there.
“We’ve talked about it all year. It’s a big part of why Calvin Booth is no longer the GM of the team.”
The Nuggets’ season is now on the brink, and if they lose either of the next two games, attention will turn to the rebuild around Nikola Jokic.