The Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win away from the Western Conference Finals after a 112–105 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points, including a crucial three-pointer with 48 seconds left that extended the lead to six.
The Nuggets, despite a dominant 44-point, 15-rebound performance from Nikola Jokic, now face elimination in Game 6 at Ball Arena on Thursday.
Oklahoma City got off to a 12–2 start as Denver missed eight of its first nine shots, including a cold spell from beyond the arc that persisted throughout the game.
Denver regrouped in the second quarter, briefly taking an 11-point lead, but the Thunder closed the half on a run to trail by just two at the break.
Jokic scored 19 in the first half and finished 17-of-25 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, but the Nuggets lacked consistent support from the rest of the roster.
Jamal Murray added 28 points on 10-of-27 shooting, while no other Denver player reached double figures outside of Aaron Gordon, who scored 13.
The Nuggets entered the fourth with an 86–78 lead, but were outscored 34–19 in the final period.
Lu Dort sparked the comeback with three three-pointers in under two minutes to trim the lead to two midway through the quarter.
Jalen Williams, who totaled 18 points and nine rebounds, hit a corner three with 1:18 remaining to give the Thunder a 106–103 edge.
Oklahoma City shot 50% from the field and 41.4% from deep, getting six players in double figures and 23 assists on 41 made shots.
The Nuggets, who finished just 13-of-46 from three, struggled with ball movement and missed opportunities in key moments.
Despite Jokic’s late fadeaway triple that tied the game at 103, Denver could not contain Oklahoma City’s closing burst.
Chet Holmgren added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, while Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault leaned heavily on his bench, with Alex Caruso scoring 13 points and helping stabilize the defense during Denver’s second-half runs.
The Game 6 matchup will take place Thursday in Denver, where the Nuggets must win to force a Game 7.
