Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander outduels Nuggets' Nikola Jokic in Game 5 thriller

The Oklahoma City Thunder outscored the Denver Nuggets by 15 points in the fourth quarter and Gilgeous-Alexander scored 10 of his 31 points in the final 3:33 as the Thunder won, 112-105. It's the second straight game where the young Thunder outscored the Nuggets by double digits in the final quarter, taking a 3-2 lead in their second-round series.

Jokic bounced back from two unimpressive games with an eye-popping effort in Game 5, scoring 44 points on 17-of-25 shooting, breaking out of his long-range slump by going 5-of-7 on threes. He also collected 15 rebounds and had five assists, though the latter category could have been more impressive had his teammates made shots late.

That was the difference in the final quarter. While the Nuggets went over seven minutes in the fourth quarter without a made field goal, the Thunder were nailing their shots. In particular, Lu Dort made three straight triples in the middle of the quarter, cutting Denver's nine-point lead to two points.

Dort played tough, physical defense on Jamal Murray late, fighting through what felt like 30-40 Jokic screens and diving out of bounds to save a loose ball that led to a game-tying layup by Chet Holmgren.

Meanwhile the non-Jokic Nuggets simply couldn't shoot the ball late. Jokic shot 5-of-7 behind the arc, while the other Nuggets went 8-of-39 (20.5 percent). Jokic was 4-of-6 in the fourth quarter, while the rest of the team shot 1-of-15. Some of that had to do with the Thunder's tireless pressure, which often kept the Nuggets scrambling near the end of the shot clock.

Ultimately, it's a missed opportunity for the Nuggets, who have to win Game 6 at home Thursday to stay alive in the series. If they can't get some points from players other than Jokic, Murray (28 points) and Aaron Gordon, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be heading to the Western Conference Finals.