Man, what a difference a week makes.
After losing the first two games of the Western Conference Semifinals at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets rallied to take a 3-2 series lead after a 112-97 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
The defending NBA champions need one of their final two games against Minnesota to advance to the Western Conference Finals and become the sixth team in league history to win a seven-game series after losing Games 1 and 2 at home.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Game 5 and how they could affect both teams in the rest of this series.
— Nikola Jokic had 40 points, 13 assists and zero turnovers in Game 5. He is the second player in NBA history since turnovers were officially recorded as statistics (1978-79) to have at least 40 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers in a playoff game. The only other player to accomplish the feat is Chris Paul, who had 41 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers for the Rockets in Game 5 of the 2018 Western Conference Semifinals against the Jazz.
“I am a freak of nature.” ?
Jokic talks about revealing his dunk package against the Timberwolves ?️ pic.twitter.com/iqK4Q8eZsz
—NBA (@NBA) May 15, 2024
– With Minnesota center Rudy Gobert as his primary defender, Jokic was 8 of 9 from the field, including a deep 3-pointer in the fourth quarter for his final points of the night. Gobert was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time in his career in 2023-24, but Jokic made the French big man look more like he belonged at the local YMCA than the NBA Playoffs.
What Jokic does to Gobert pic.twitter.com/aaVzKLRoho
– Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) May 15, 2024
– Aaron Gordon had another fantastic game for Denver, totaling 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Game 5 marked the first time in Gordon’s playoff career (55 games) in which he totaled at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game. Since Game 2, Gordon has averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 69.7% from the field and 71.4% from 3-point range.
– Sophomore guard Christian Braun made a big impact off the bench, totaling 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the win while playing 28 minutes. This was the most minutes Braun has played in the playoffs this season, and the most in a game since he played 28 in a win over the Jazz on Oct. 9. He has shot over 50% from the field in all five games against Minnesota. until now.
Christian Braun is having fun pic.twitter.com/dlqvDxbkG7
– Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) May 15, 2024
– The Nuggets finished the game shooting 44 of 80 (55.0%) from the field. Since scoring just 80 points in Game 2, Denver has averaged 114.7 points in Games 3-5 and shot a combined 132 of 239 (55.2%). Minnesota, meanwhile, has made just 108 of 231 (46.8%) field goal attempts over the same stretch.
– Denver had an effective strategy to defend Anthony Edwards, often blitzing him with two players when he received the ball at half court. Edwards finished with 18 points, his fewest this postseason since he scored 15 in Game 2 of the first round against Phoenix. Before Game 5, Edwards was averaging 33.3 points on 60.4% shooting against the Nuggets in this series.
“I just laugh. That’s all I can do. I can’t get mad… He’s the best player in the NBA and he proved it in the last 3 games… He was special tonight. I have to give him his flowers.”
Anthony Edwards on Nikola Jokic’s performance in Game 5 ?️
(through @BenGolliver)pic.twitter.com/kRLbCBhDJX
– Clutch Points (@ClutchPoints) May 15, 2024
– Minnesota veteran guard Mike Conley sat out Game 5 due to an Achilles injury, and the Timberwolves missed his calming presence on offense and his tenacity on defense. In the first four games of the series, Conley averaged 10.8 points, 7.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Minnesota is hoping to return for Game 6.
– The Timberwolves committed 16 turnovers on Tuesday, the most in a game this postseason. Both Minnesota and Denver have committed at least 10 turnovers in each of the first five games of the series.
– If Denver can win this series, they will be the sixth team in NBA history to win a seven-game playoff series after losing Games 1 and 2 at home. The last team to accomplish that feat was the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021. That year, the Clippers lost Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks before recovering to win the series in seven games.
