Jokic's 44 points, 15 rebounds not enough as Thunder top Nuggets to go up 3-2 in West semis

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nikola Jokic was nearly unstoppable against Oklahoma City’s gritty, aggressive defense.

The Thunder made a valiant effort to disrupt him, as they have all series. Denver’s superstar center still had 44 points and 15 rebounds on Tuesday night. He made 17 of 25 shots, with many of them closely contested.

It wasn’t enough. Oklahoma City beat Denver 112-105, and now the Nuggets will return home trailing their Western Conference semifinal series 3-2 and facing elimination in Game 6 on Thursday.

Jokic said Oklahoma City still played the same kind of defense that bothered him in Games 2 through 4, when he shot just 33% from the field and 18.2% from 3-point range. He again mostly dealt with 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren, 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein and the rugged, energetic Jaylin Williams.

To Jokic, the difference was simple.

“The ball is going in," he said. "They were still doing what they’re doing.”

Jokic made 8 of 13 shots and scored 19 points in the first half.

“He made the touch shots around the rim that seemed like hadn’t been going his way lately, which is surprising because he’s been so good at it for so long,” Denver interim coach David Adelman said. “Once he saw those go in, it just kind of unleashed everything else.”

But Jokic's teammates struggled. Jamal Murray scored 28 points but made just 10 of 27 shots. Aaron Gordon scored 13 points. No other Nuggets player scored more than eight points.

Jokic's teammates made 23 of 72 shots and scored just 61 points.

“We had a great performance from Nikola, just have to have a few other guys have a game, which we can do in Game 6," Adelman said. “I have full confidence in our guys.”

Denver took an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma City outscored the Nuggets 34-19 in the final period.

Jokic said falling short was disappointing, but he believes the Nuggets still can win the series.

“I mean, of course, it happens,” he said of the rough finish. “And some people will say that we were not supposed to win Game 1, but we won it. And then Game 3, we didn’t play very well, but we won. ... It’s a playoff. It’s a series. Every game is different."

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