The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets are locked in a fierce battle as their playoff series returns to OKC for a crucial Game 5 on Tuesday night. The Thunder, now tied 2-2 with the defending champs, enter as 10-point favorites on their home court.
The game tips off at 9:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch all the action on TNT, truTV, or stream it free on Jazz Sports.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saved the day for OKC in Game 4, scoring nine of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to help the Thunder escape Denver with a series-tying 92-87 win.
Things looked bleak early in the final period when the Thunder found themselves down by eight.
That’s when OKC’s bench stepped up big time. Reserves Cason Wallace knocked down two huge three-pointers while Aaron Wiggins added another during an 11-0 run that changed the game completely.
“I really thought the difference in the game was their bench kind of lit a fuse for them,” admitted Nuggets interim coach David Adelman. “They made 3s… pretty incredible in a game where the two teams shoot 21 of 86 from 3.”
Wallace’s second three-pointer put the Thunder ahead for good at 75-73, giving OKC the momentum they needed to close out the win.
Jokic’s Struggles Continue
The biggest story of the series might be Nikola Jokic’s shocking shooting slump.
The Nuggets superstar has looked nothing like himself lately. Over the last three games, he’s shooting an ice-cold 33.3% from the field and just 18.2% from beyond the arc.
For perspective, Jokic shot under 40% only once during the entire regular season. Two of his four worst shooting performances in his 91-game playoff career have come in the last two games.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Jokic explained after Game 4. “They’re playing really good defense on me. They’re really getting into my body, handsy, physical… And they’re shrinking the floor for me. I need to do a better job, of course, but it’s part of the game.”
Injury Report
The Nuggets will be without SF Hunter Tyson (ankle) and center DaRon Holmes II (Achilles), while the Thunder are missing shooting guard Nikola Topic (knee) for the remainder of the season.
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Thunder a 64% chance of winning Game 5 at home.
The Nuggets have been solid on Tuesdays, going 8-2 in their last 10 Tuesday games.
But OKC has been even better lately, winning 10 of their last 12 games overall.
Can the top-seeded Thunder capitalize on their home court advantage, or will the battle-tested Nuggets regain control of the series? We’ll find out Tuesday night at Paycom Center.
