A masterclass. No other way to describe it.
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 112-97, in Game 5 to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the second-round series. They've won three straight games, including two on the road. This was the first home win of the series.
It's been a remarkable turnaround for Denver after dropping the first two games at home, including a 27-point beatdown in Game 2. They've completely flipped this series on its head.
We've buried the lede a little bit, so let's get into the main course.
Nikola Jokić absolutely stole the show. He put up 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, 1 block, and 2 steals. He became the first player to ever score or assist on 70 points or more in a playoff game without committing a single turnover. This was hours removed from winning his third regular season MVP in front of the cheering Ball Arena crowd.
"When he gets it going and he's doing that stupid one-legged, one-arm, behind the backboard stuff, I'm just going back on defense," Jamal Murray joked. "He's amazing, just the way he picks apart the game, reads the game, and trusts his teammates... The game plan was just give him the ball and we'll figure it out."
It was one of the best postseason performances we've seen in recent memory... maybe ever... and it certainly ranks atop Nikola's playoff showcases in his nine-year career. Most importantly, he did it against the No.1 defense in the league, versus a Minnesota defense that was specifically created to stop him.
"He's ahead of everybody. He just knows everything," said head coach Michael Malone. "He reads you and he knows how to counter almost everything that you can throw at him from an individual standpoint and from a game plan standpoint. It's really fun to watch, and the best thing about it all is that he never forces the issue."
Aaron Gordon filled the box score with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 16 points on 4-of-5 made three-pointers.
Jokić paced all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the first half. However, Minnesota kept things close and didn't let Denver's lead get larger than 7 points. At the end of the half, Jokić and Jamal Murray connected for a successful two-man action to send the Nuggets into the break with a 50-44 lead.
Both teams opened the third quarter quietly, but then Jokić absolutely blew the game open by scoring 16 points in the final 6 minutes of the period. He did so by repeatedly attacking four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, in the post and on the perimeter. That gave Denver a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Jokić began the fourth quarter on the bench, but Malone quickly got him into the game after two minutes of rest. He responded by scoring five more points, including this outrageous pull-up three-pointer, to put the game away.
As we said, it was a masterclass. Denver can put the series away on Thursday in Minnesota.