Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 112-105 on Tuesday night to go up 3-2 in their Western Conference semifinal series.
Oklahoma City overcame a 44-point, 15-rebound night from Denver’s Nikola Jokic. The Thunder can clinch the series on Thursday in Denver.
Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 23 field goals and had seven assists. He led six Thunder players in double figures.
Jokic made 17 of 25 shots. Denver’s Jamal Murray scored 28 points, but he made just 10 of 27 shots. No other Denver player scored more than 13 points.
Oklahoma City ran out to a 12-2 lead, and it looked like it might turn out like the Thunder’s blowout victory in Game 2. Denver made one of its first nine shots, and that was a putback by Jokic.
Denver rallied and led by 11 in the second quarter, but Oklahoma City closed strong and trailed 56-54 at halftime. Jokic had 19 points and nine rebounds before the break.
Denver took control early in the third quarter. Murray scored 13 points in the period and Jokic added 12 to help the Nuggets take an 86-78 lead into the fourth.
Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort, who scored three points in the first three quarters, hit three 3-pointers in a two-minute span to cut Denver’s lead to 92-90 midway through the fourth.
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Jokic hit a deep fadeaway 3-pointer to tie the game at 103 before Oklahoma City closed it out. Jalen Williams’ 3-pointer with 1:18 remaining gave the Thunder a 106-103 lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander’s three with 48 seconds to go pushed Oklahoma City’s lead to six.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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