3 Takeaways from OKC Thunder's Thrilling Game 5 Win

The Oklahoma City Thunder's Game 5 win over the Denver Nuggets was the franchise's biggest in the playoffs since 2016.

That's a lot of games to look over through the last decade, but no win has been deeper and more important in the playoffs than this one. Stealing another win on the road could've secured the series for Denver, but Oklahoma City fended it off with an impressive closeout down the stretch of the fourth quarter.

It wasn't without heaping amounts of tension, as Nikola Jokic dropped 44 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a dominant offensive performance. Even with a stunning fadeaway 3-pointer, however, it wasn't enough to cause the Thunder's demise.

With one more win, Oklahoma City is heading to the Western Conference Finals.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's 112-105 win:

SGA's Defining Performance

As much as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has stamped himself as one of the NBA's best players, there's still been a void in defining playoff moments throughout his young career.

Well, that completely changed in Game 5.

To cap off a 31-point performance, Gilgeous-Alexander drilled a 3-pointer off a screen with 47 seconds remaining to put away the Nuggets for good. In the final 3:33 of the fourth quarter, he scored 10 points — closing out the game the way an MVP is expected to.

"I felt like it's about time", Gilgeous-Alexander said on the final shot.

Gilgeous-Alexander's 2025 playoff campaign has been rocky at times, but the tide is starting to turn in his favor. While Jokic had the more jaw-dropping performance, coming up in the clutch when the Thunder was in desperate need of momentum was equally as important.

That 3-pointer will be remembered fondly in Oklahoma City's history — especially with a series win. If Gilgeous-Alexander needed to prove to the masses as a "clutch talent," than he certainly did with last night's finish.

Dort Shifts Momentum

Lu Dort is an imperfect player — his defense is always elite, but whether his offensive game is on constantly varies by the night.

Although his production against Denver haven't been ideal, the Thunder couldn't have taken Game 5 without him. Not even when factoring in Gilgeous-Alexander's fourth quarter.

With 9:21 remaining, Oklahoma City trailed 90-81 with a noticeable air of concern in Paycom Center. By the time the clock hit the 6:20 mark, the Nuggets only led 92-90.

Within that time, Dort knocked down three of his four attempts from behind the arc to give the Thunder a huge boost of energy at a crucial point. Denver quickly called timeout after that, and from then on, Oklahoma City took over the driver's seat.

For the Thunder, Dort's imperfections hardly matter to the grand scheme of his value.

"I don’t bet against Lu. It’s that simple," head coach Mark Daigneault said following the win. "There's just a special thing about him. He's always going to stand back up. He's not perfect, but he's always going to respond and he's always going to compete.”

Depth Matters

There's no denying that Jokic put up one of the most impressive playoff performances in recent memory. He did everything he wanted and more, leaving Oklahoma City with little answers.

The issue for the Nuggets is that he can't do it all himself. Jamal Murray provided 28 points — albeit on 10-of-27 shooting — but the rest of the roster hardly provided any form of assistance. Michael Porter Jr. was largely irrelvant yet again, putting up just two points on 1-of-7 shooting.

That's where the Thunder can take advantage. Defensively it might as well put the full focus on Jokic for the rest of the series, unless someone can prove otherwise for Denver. Instead of being eight players deep, Oklahoma City has 10 it feels confident in playing.

Alex Caruso has been one of the Thunder's most valuable pieces throughout the entire playoffs — all while being on the bench. Jaylin Williams' runs have been getting even more excellent by the game, as he's played sound defense on Jokic and made several smart plays.

The bench unit has been a strength for Oklahoma City all season, and it isn't changing now. While the Nuggets run out of gas, it can keep replenishing its energy for as long as it wants.