Oklahoma City won the fourth quarter 34-19 to beat Denver 112-105 and take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semi-final.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, while Luguentz Dort changed the game with three fourth-quarter three-pointers.
Dort sparks the fourth-quarter comeback
The Nuggets led by nine with just over ten minutes remaining when Dort began his run.
He made three shots from behind the arc in slightly more than two minutes, cutting Denver’s advantage to 92-90.
Dort finished with 12 points and made four of his eight three-point attempts after struggling earlier in the series.
“I don’t bet against Lu,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “There’s just a special thing about him.”
Jokić scores 44 but Denver stalls
Nikola Jokić had 44 points and 15 rebounds on 17-of-25 shooting. Jamal Murray scored 28 but needed 27 shots.
Jokić scored 13 of Denver’s 19 fourth-quarter points. The rest of the team went one of 15 from the floor and missed all ten three-point attempts.
His 27-foot three tied the game at 103, but Jalen Williams answered from deep before Gilgeous-Alexander added another three for a six-point lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander stays calm under pressure
Six Oklahoma City players scored in double figures as the Thunder completed another late comeback.
Daigneault praised Gilgeous-Alexander for becoming more composed as the pressure increased.
Oklahoma City had also outscored Denver 29-18 in the fourth quarter of Game 4. Across those two wins, the Thunder held a 26-point advantage in the closing period.
The result put Oklahoma City one victory from the Western Conference finals.
