JOKIĆ SHONE, SCORED 44, BUT IN VAIN! Denver led the whole game and lost in the end, Oklahoma one step away from the Western Conference Finals!

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets with a score of 112:105, taking a 3:2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals series, despite an incredible performance by Nikola Jokić.

The Denver Nuggets were on the verge of victory, having led for almost the entire match, with an unreal Nikola Jokić who had 44 points, but even that was not enough. Oklahoma scored everything in the final quarter, caught Denver’s slump, and with a big run at the finish, turned everything around and came within one step of the Western Conference Finals.

Nikola Jokić had 44 points (17/25 from the field), 15 rebounds, and five assists, but even that was not enough. The Serbian dominated, showing everyone who the MVP is, but support from his teammates was lacking, especially from Michael Porter, who scored a meager two points. Jamal Murray added 28 points, while Aaron Gordon was also in double figures with 13.

On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points, Jalen Williams added 18, and four more players had double-digit performances.

Denver missed a great opportunity and now must celebrate in the next two games if they want to reach the Western Conference Finals.

As was the case in the previous duels, Denver got off to a bad start. Holmgren hit a three-pointer on the very first possession, Williams also scored, and after Hartenstein’s dunk, Oklahoma reached a double-digit lead very early (12:2).

However, Adelman’s timeout shook up Denver. The Nuggets started playing much better defense, getting easy points on the counterattack, and Jokić got involved, scoring five consecutive points. Very quickly, after Brown’s first three-pointer, the guests took the lead (14:16).

By the end of the first quarter, Jokić was brilliant, finishing it with nine points and five rebounds, but the Nuggets’ cheap turnovers allowed their rival to be only one point behind after 12 minutes (27:28).

It was important for Denver to withstand the minutes without Jokić on the court, and this went very well for the guests. Watson had good minutes, Strawther joined in with a three-pointer, and after Nikola’s points upon returning to the court, the Nuggets reached their biggest lead of seven points (33:40).

Oklahoma played in streaks, so it didn’t take long for the Thunder to come back to just one point behind, thanks to a great Alex Caruso. However, Jokić got involved again, playing an incredible first half – his two three-pointers repelled the home team’s run (45:56). However, the finish of the second quarter belonged to Oklahoma, the Nuggets easily lost the ball and gifted points to the Thunder, who went into halftime with only a two-point deficit (54:56).

The beginning of the third quarter was even between the two teams, and then Jokić and Murray stepped on the gas. Denver’s mainstays were hitting everything, and after Gordon’s three-pointer, the guests reached their biggest lead of 12 points (80:68). From then on, everything went downhill.

J-DUB AND SHAI CLUTCH 3s.

3-2 SERIES LEAD FOR OKC 🚨 pic.twitter.com/OqLLiX62ar
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025

Holmgren, with five consecutive points, kept Oklahoma in the game, which entered the final quarter with only an eight-point deficit (78:86).

And, as in the previous game, the Thunder broke Denver in the final quarter. Jokić played all 12 minutes, hitting everything, but support from his teammates was lacking. There was also no luck, and Lu Dort, one of the worst shooters on the court, hit three three-pointers. This turned the momentum around and brought his team to a tie (92:92).

Nikola did everything at the finish to bring victory to the guests. He made free throws after offensive rebounds and even hit one of the craziest three-pointers of his career (103:103). In vain. Williams hit from the corner to give Oklahoma the lead, Porter was inaccurate for the equalizer, and in the end, Mark Daigneault’s team held the difference without any problems.

Oklahoma now has a 3:2 lead, and the sixth game of the series is played on Thursday night in the US, on Friday morning at 4 AM Serbian time.