Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets aren’t done just yet.
The Nuggets picked up a commanding 125-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series on Monday night to keep their postseason hopes alive.
While they can’t lose the rest of the way and trail 3-2 headed into Game 6 later this week on the road, Monday night’s win was easily the biggest of the series so far — and it came on the heels of a contentious finish on Saturday night that capped a three-game losing skid.
Nuggets surge in second half
The Nuggets took a nine-point lead into the locker room at halftime. They forced 14 turnovers and led the entire way in the second quarter while staying a step ahead of the Timberwolves despite them drilling nine 3-pointers in the opening 24 minutes. Jokic hit a huge 3-pointer of his own from deep over Rudy Gobert without a second thought right before the buzzer, too.
That momentum more than carried over into the second half. The Nuggets opened the third quarter on an 18-8 tear to break open a 19-point lead almost instantly. Nothing was falling for Minnesota anymore, either. It missed seven of its first 10 field goals as the Nuggets started running away with the contest. The points came from everyone too, including a fastbreak dunk from Spencer Jones that lit up Ball Arena and forced a timeout.
The Nuggets ended up closing the quarter on a 12-6 run, interrupted only by a Gobert and-one slam. Christian Braun and Cameron Johnson each picked up huge dunks during that stretch, which pushed Denver to a 22-point lead by the end of the period. Minnesota had 20 turnovers by that point.
By then, the fourth quarter was merely a formality. The Nuggets cruised the rest of the way, and survived one last Minnesota push that briefly saw the game get back to just 10 points, to grab the win.
Julisu Randle led the Timberwolves with 27 points and nine rebounds. Ayo Dosunmo added 18 points, and Jaden McDaniels had 13 points. The Timberwolves are without star Anthony Edwards, who is considered week-to-week with a hyperextended knee and bone bruise, and starting guard Donte DiVincenzo, who went down with a torn Achilles in Game 4.
Jokić finished with a triple-double with 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds in the win. Jamal Murray added 24 points, and Jones finished with 20 points. The Nuggets shot 57% from the field.
The Nuggets did all of that without star Aaron Gordon, too. He was ruled out after pregame warmups due to calf tightness.
Now Monday night’s result aside, the Nuggets still aren’t in the best position. Losing three games in a row in the middle of the series put them in a hole where they now have to be absolutely perfect the rest of the way, starting with Thursday night at the Target Center. A loss would hand the Nuggets their first opening-round playoff exit since 2022.
But clearly, Jokić and the Nuggets aren’t ready to just roll over. Monday’s outing was a perfect reminder of what they’re capable of. Whether it’s enough to carry them to two more wins, however, remains to be seen.
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