Jokic refuses to go down as Nuggets force Game 6

The Denver Nuggets are still standing. The team avoided elimination in their first-round series by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 (125–113). It was their second win of the series, and their first after three straight losses.

Their next survival test will come on the road, in Minnesota, where they’ll face a hostile environment in Game 6.

Jokic leads the charge

When Nikola Jokic is locked in, everything changes. After struggling mightily over the previous three games, shooting just 23-for-68, the center bounced back in dominant fashion. He finished with 27 points, 16 assists, and 12 rebounds, shooting an efficient 9-for-15 from the field.

It was his 23rd career playoff triple-double, moving him into third place on the NBA’s all-time list.

Despite Jokic’s brilliance, Denver didn’t have it easy. Minnesota came into the game without Anthony Edwards (left knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles tear). Edwards could return if the Timberwolves advance, while DiVincenzo is out for the season. To make matters worse, Naz Reid exited the game with an ankle sprain.

Still, the Timberwolves held firm in the first half behind Julius Randle, overcoming 14 turnovers to stay within striking distance. The 60–51 halftime score left everything wide open.

That changed quickly after the break. Denver turned up the pressure, forcing turnovers and pushing the pace, while Minnesota struggled to keep up. What was a nine-point game ballooned into a 20-point lead (76–56) just five minutes into the third quarter.

Jamal Murray, who finished with 24 points, played a key role in creating that separation. The Nuggets extended their advantage to as many as 27 points (102–75) in the fourth quarter. Minnesota made a late push, cutting the deficit to 10 (111–101), but it wasn’t enough.

A three-pointer from Bruce Brown, followed by a steal-and-score from Murray and a post move from Jokic, sealed the game at 118–101—out of reach for the Timberwolves.

Denver lives on. And as long as Jokic is playing at this level, they’re far from finished.

Related stories

NBA

Wemby concussion comments: What he said before mic was muted

NBA

Rockets avoid sweep after Sengun’s powerful pregame message

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.

Denver Nuggets

Stats

0 Christian Braun
11 Bruce Brown
10 Tim Hardaway Jr.
14 DaRon Holmes II
23 Cameron Johnson
15 Nikola Jokić
21 Spencer Jones
5 Tyus Jones
27 Jamal Murray
22 Zeke Nnaji
24 Jalen Pickett
3 Julian Strawther
17 Jonas Valančiūnas

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
0 Christian Braun	30	9	2	0	2	3	1	3	0	2/2	2/3	1/2	0	4
11 Bruce Brown	20	7	0	0	0	0	3	2	0	1/2	3/5	0/2	0	3
10 Tim Hardaway Jr.	11	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1/1	2/2	1/3	0	2
14 DaRon Holmes II	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
23 Cameron Johnson	35	18	6	2	4	5	1	3	0	0/0	6/6	2/7	0	1
15 Nikola Jokić	37	27	12	0	12	16	3	0	2	8/10	8/11	1/4	0	4
21 Spencer Jones	36	20	3	0	3	1	1	3	3	2/2	3/4	4/5	0	5
5 Tyus Jones	13	3	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	1/2	1/2	0/0	0	1
27 Jamal Murray	38	24	4	2	2	7	4	4	0	4/4	7/17	2/6	0	3
22 Zeke Nnaji	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
24 Jalen Pickett	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
3 Julian Strawther	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1
17 Jonas Valančiūnas	10	9	2	1	1	1	3	0	1	1/2	4/4	0/0	0	5

Minnesota Timberwolves

Stats

12 Kyle Anderson
19 Joan Beringer
22 Jaylen Clark
10 Mike Conley
13 Ayo Dosunmu
27 Rudy Gobert
8 Bones Hyland
7 Joe Ingles
3 Jaden McDaniels
4 Julian Phillips
30 Julius Randle
11 Naz Reid
1 Terrence Shannon Jr.

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF
12 Kyle Anderson	14	4	3	1	2	6	4	0	0	0/0	2/4	0/0	0	1
19 Joan Beringer	2	2	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	2/2	0/0	0/0	0	0
22 Jaylen Clark	11	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	3
10 Mike Conley	16	4	1	0	1	4	1	0	0	0/0	2/4	0/0	0	2
13 Ayo Dosunmu	38	18	3	1	2	4	2	1	0	1/1	4/9	3/5	0	3
27 Rudy Gobert	29	3	7	1	6	2	1	2	0	1/1	1/2	0/0	0	2
8 Bones Hyland	23	15	1	1	0	1	3	1	0	2/2	2/2	3/7	0	1
7 Joe Ingles	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
3 Jaden McDaniels	27	13	3	1	2	1	4	0	1	3/5	5/8	0/3	0	5
4 Julian Phillips	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0
30 Julius Randle	32	27	9	3	6	6	5	1	0	9/11	6/11	2/4	0	5
11 Naz Reid	24	12	8	1	7	1	3	0	0	0/0	3/6	2/5	0	4
1 Terrence Shannon Jr.	13	15	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	1/1	4/6	2/4	0	1