Game 5 of the Denver Nuggets-Oklahoma City Thunder went down to the wire. And for the second straight game, OKC prevailed. But this time, it was about survival. After a few games of struggling, Nikola Jokic is back alive with everything at once. He hit some ludicrous shots and single-handedly gave the Nuggets an edge. But in the clutch, his MVP rival, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Thunder stole the action. And it’s all about their mindset.

For the second straight game, the Thunder entered the fourth quarter trying to chase the Nuggets. Once again, they did the needful to successfully squash their rivals. SGA stepped up huge, scoring 6 quick points during the comeback. But even the likes of Lu Dort and Jalen Williams made some huge plays down the stretch.

For the Thunder cornerstone, that’s the identity of his team. No matter how many swings the game produces, their intent doesn’t change. “Being aggressive, trusting the path, trusting each other. Throughout the game it’s full of swings. You make shots, you miss shots. Just trusting our principles and two games in a row they’ve had our back and we’ve been able to pull out a W,” he revealed post-game.

The Thunder outscored the Nuggets 34-19 in the final quarter in their 105-112 Game 5 victory. Dort led the rally by splashing three triples in the period. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, put up another exquisite fourth quarter with 10 points. But more importantly, it was their defense that has won them the last two games.

After trailing by 12 midway through the third, the Thunder held the Nuggets to shooting just 24.2% from the field. Albeit Nikola Jokic was unaffected, no matter what they threw at him. But aside from him, only two other Nuggets players made a single field goal till the end of the game.

In that span, the Oklahoma City Thunder outscored them by 19 points and completely assumed control of the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended the game with an efficient 31-point performance, while other starters chipped in with valuable contributions. “All 10 of our guys are ready to go no matter the stage,” the ace says about the Thunder’s rotation.

Their invigorating pressure did upset the Nuggets. But Nikola Jokic remained an exception.

It takes more than a village to stop Nikola Jokic

It wouldn’t be fair to say the rest of the Nuggets didn’t support the Joker during his dazzling performance. Until five minutes remaining in the third quarter, each of them played with energy. Jamal Murray, in particular, looked to be on a heater, compiling 24 points before entering the fourth quarter. Aaron Gordon also had an efficient game.

But the Thunder defense was able to neutralize them to the extent of leaving it all to Nikola Jokic. Yet, as much as they tried to shut down the ‘Joker,’ he just kept on revealing his lethal nature.

Jokic put up 44 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 68% from the field. For him personally, it was a much-needed performance after having some uncharacteristic shooting nights. And it also came when the OKC defense seemed fully fixated on curbing his output for the Nuggets.

In his post-game interview, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about the three-time MVP with great vigor. However, he emphasized on the importance of team effort to get he job done. “It’s a team sport. No one guy can do it… We all need each other. Obviously he’s a really talented guy. But all we care about is winning the game, and we got one tonight. We go to get one more,” said SGA.

It was a shame to see such a great Nikola Jokic performance go in vain. But throughout the series, the Nuggets have proved they can play together as a team even though Jokic isn’t necessarily doing as good as tonight. With Game 6 at the Ball Arena, it’s imperative for the Nuggets to have multiple outlets and find a way around the Thunder’s imperious defense late in the game.