Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Michael Porter Jr. bounced back with 21 clutch points, leading the Denver Nuggets past the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon had 22 points for the Nuggets, who led by no more than two points in regulation but went on an 11-2 run in the extra period.
Jokic went 8 for 25 from the field and missed all 10 of his 3-pointers but started the overtime flourish with a finger-roll layup and the Nuggets never trailed again.
The other NBA MVP front-runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a tough night, missing 15 of 22 shots, going 1 for 6 from deep and finishing with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points and Chet Holmgren chipped in 18.
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It was tied at 102 after regulation, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic missed potential winners in the closing seconds of regulation. SGA missed a 12-foot jumper with 3 seconds left, and Joker missed a 19-footer at the buzzer.
After getting blown out by 43 points in Game 2, the Nuggets knew their path to victory on this night was staying close until the end when they could tap into their mix of experience, home environment and closing prowess.
The Nuggets trailed 83-80 after three quarters. They would have had the lead if not for back-to-back offensive goal-tending calls in the third quarter on Gordon and Jokic.
The Thunder took a 56-51 halftime lead thanks to Holmgren’s 16 points and seven boards. Porter, who was a combined 3-for-18 from the floor in Oklahoma City, made his first five shots, three from deep, to keep Denver close.
Reminiscent of last year when Jokic showed up for a playoff game at Ball Arena dressed as Gru from Despicable Me, the Joker arrived Thursday night dressed as, well, the Joker, the DC Comics villain version.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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