Nuggets blow Game 5 lead despite Jokic’s heroics; Jamal Murray takes the blame

It was an iconic Nikola Jokic game for the Denver Nuggets, and yet they still lost, getting crushed in the fourth quarter again to lose Game 5, 112-105.

After blowing a 12-point second-half lead, the only non-Jokic shot the Nuggets made in the fourth quarter was a Jamal Murray garbage-time layup as they outscored 34-19. Denver has been outgunned 63-37 in the last two games in the fourth, blowing two chances to get a third win over the NBA’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. What was once the Nuggets’ signature, as recently as earlier in this playoff run, closing out tight games, has gone by the wayside.

Jokic hit four of his six shots in the final quarter for 13 points. His teammates went 1-for-15 for just six points. While the Nuggets rode Joker for an incredible night of 44 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals —no one helped him carry the load late against the well-rounded Thunder.

“You can say it’s fatigue, I think shot quality too,” Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman said after the game about the fourth quarter issues. “Early in the quarter, we did get really good shots. They didn’t fall. And then later, their pressure got to us. We were up against the clock a lot. So if it is fatigue, that’s on me, I’m deciding who’s going to run it, who’s going to be out there. If guys were tired, their tired legs, that’s the decision I’m making. I like the group that we had. We had a good rhythm there going to the fourth, and I thought we sustained it early… We had great performance from Nikola, we have to have a few other guys have a game.”

Jokic played the entire second half and was quiet for the early portion of the fourth quarter when he normally rests. The Nuggets have now lost three of the last four playoff contests where he’s played the entire four quarters, getting crushed by about 10 points a game in those matches.

“It was my decision. I had a conversation with him, and he felt good, and I was going back and forth with it,” Adelman said. “With four timeouts, that was a big factor for me. The two timeouts OKC had as well — that’s seven minutes of rest. So I felt comfortable with that. I felt like the momentum of the game was going our way, and he was very sure of himself. Wanted to play through him. I’ll look back on it, and I’ll doubt myself because we lost the game. But keeping a guy out there who was extremely efficient — it was a decision that I made to leave him out there. I do not regret it right now after a loss, but if I go back and watch the tape, maybe we’ll have a different opinion tomorrow.”

While Adelman didn’t take the blame — just praised the players’ efforts and was mainly upset about the shot selection and the good ones not falling — Murray did take it on himself. The Blue Arrow was mostly awesome, with 13 points in the third quarter to give Denver its biggest lead of the game. But he faltered down the stretch, and he was one of the bandmates who combined to hit just three of their last 27 shots from the field.

“He missed shots. There’s a difference. He’s still playing. He’s still the engine of our offense. He’s still coordinating. He’s still an anchor on defense. He still does a lot of different things. I don’t think [Jokic] should be going through any type of slander. When you know he’s still playing at an All-NBA, MVP, Hall of Fame type of level,” Murray said, referring to the criticism Jokic has faced in this series for being slowed by the league’s best defense. “I don’t think it’s ever his fault for missing a couple of tough shots that he’s been making his whole career. I don’t think that’s fair.”

Murray then turned the arrow back upon himself.

“If you want to look at somebody to blame, I think I need to do better,” Murray said. “I didn’t shoot the ball like I needed to today, and I had some sloppy turnovers. I could have taken command of the ball more — maybe down the stretch — and gotten us more organized or something. But I think (Jokic has) been playing amazing. I think he does everything he can to win every single night.”

Murray didn’t buy the fatigue factor, sharing that he believes he plays better when he’s tired.

Now the series goes back to Denver on Thursday, with the Nuggets down 3-2. They’ll need to find a way to even force a Game 7 after blowing two late leads on the verge of getting a closeout game against the Thunder.

“Their greatest punch (is coming),” Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m sure they don’t want to go home just as bad as we don’t.”

SGA scored 31 points but was bolstered by three 3-pointers from Lu Dort in the fourth, as one of six double-figure scorers for the Thunder. The Nuggets had just three double-figure scorers, with Murray tallying 28 and Aaron Gordon getting 13. Both Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook shot 1-for-7 from the field. Denver made only 28% of their shots from 3-point range, while the Thunder hit 41%.

“To hang in there the way we did and get back on track was impressive,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Then I thought we closed really well — both ends of the floor, high level of connection.”

Murray expressed confidence Denver would force a Game 7, while Adelman challenged the Thunder to give the Nuggets the same shooting looks again — despite Denver’s cold stretch over the last two games.

“You don’t think about (playing the whole fourth),” Jokic said. “I felt it was good, and I talked to DA, and he told me that if you want to stay, then stay. I think we had good looks, we had everything. So I think we just need to make it.”

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