Nikola Jokic Makes History in Nuggets’ Loss to Thunder

The Denver Nuggets dropped a critical Game 5 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night by a final score of 112-105. It was a painful loss, as Denver led by as many as 12 points and was up 86-78 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Superstar center Nikola Jokic did just about everything he could to lead the Nuggets to a win. He scored 44 points while hitting 17 of his 25 field-goal attempts and going 5-of-7 from 3-point range, and he also grabbed 15 rebounds and added five assists.

In doing so, he became just the second player in NBA history to post at least 40 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five treys in a playoff game. The only other player to do so was teammate Russell Westbrook.

Jokic also had a huge performance in Game 1 when Denver stole a 120-119 victory from the jaws of defeat. However, he struggled offensively in each of the following three contests.

On Tuesday, he got no support. Guard Jamal Murray, who has struggled for most of this series, shot 10-of-27 from the field, and forward Michael Porter Jr. went 1-of-7. Westbrook himself shot 1-of-7 from the field, and in general, Denver's bench mustered just 10 points as head coach David Adelman played just eight men.

Denver Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Thunder, meanwhile, had six players in double figures and shot 50% from the field.

Jokic joined Westbrook and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players to ever average a triple-double for an entire season this year. But the Nuggets' offensive inconsistencies have resulted in them being down three games to two in this series, and they will be playing for their lives in Game 6 back home on Thursday.