At this point, we’re just witnessing the youngest team of the league grow up before our eyes. The Oklahoma City Thunder are dancing on the edge of triumph. They stormed back in Game 5, erasing a double-digit hole to stun Denver 112-105. Now, with a 3-2 lead, the West’s best team stands one win from sending Nikola Jokic & Co. packing. Meanwhile, the Joker and his teammate, Jamal Murray, found themselves disagreeing after their dramatic loss at Paycom Center on Tuesday.
If the Nuggets needed a mirror, this game held it up. Jokic dropped 44 with just 2 turnovers. Murray added 28 on 10 of 27 shooting. But the rest? A ghost town. Michael Porter Jr. had 2 points. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook chipped in 4. The supporting cast shot 13 of 45. Well, Denver had its stars, yet once again, it wasn’t enough.
So, the reporters asked the 3x MVP about their 4th quarter debacle, where the Thunder could escalate their game and score 34 points compared to the Nuggets’ 19 points. What truly went wrong during the long fourth-quarter stretch without a field goal as OKC gained momentum? A no-nonsense Nikola Jokic said, “I think nothing, I think AG had the open look. I think Jamal had an open look. P-Wat had an open look. I don’t know. I think we had an open look. It’s not like we turned the ball over. I think we had the open looks. We just didn’t score.”
The Denver Nuggets had an eight-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, going without a field goal despite having enough open looks destroyed the momentum. Meanwhile, Jamal Murray holds a different opinion on the matter.
Right after the game-tying three in Q4, Denver threw two defenders at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He passed, and Lu Dort swung it. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams hit the corner dagger. Then, the Nuggets stayed home, while Shai pulled up and buried another. Was it a matter of effort or just a gamble Jamal Murray & Co. had to take? “No. I don’t think we were doubling. I think we were just in a zone. We didn’t rotate accordingly. We gave another three. They hit shots. It changed the game,” Murray told the media without a moment’s hesitation.
Now, the spotlight shifted from the overall performance of Denver to one star who lit up the stage for the team in the previous games. Yes, Michael Porter Jr., who has a night to forget in Oklahoma City, seems quite beaten up after the game. Why? Well, scoring only 2 points in a crucial game like this doesn’t seem favorable. However, Jokic has some words of wisdom for his 26-year-old teammate.
Nikola Jokic sends a strong message to Michael Porter Jr. after disappointing 2-point game
Michael Porter Jr. is not hiding. After another cold night—1 of 7 from the field and 0 of 5 from deep for just 2 points, he took the heat. “We’ve played well enough to win the last two games,” Porter said at his locker room stall. “A lot of the reason we lost is because I’m not helping contribute. And that’s tough. That’s really tough. I’m looking at myself individually and how I can try to help the team win, because I haven’t been doing that. I haven’t been contributing in any way right now.” No shoulder excuses, just raw accountability.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media after the game, the reporters pointed out to Nikola Jokic that MPJ was pretty hard on himself when he went through even a short stretch where he wasn’t making shots. Whatever it may be, what kind of message would he send to his teammates? Jokic said, “Nobody wants to miss shots. Of course, he’s probably one of the best shooters in the league. When he cannot make shots, he’s definitely frustrated with himself. But he’s open. He needs to take it. We want him to take a shot. So, it keeps shooting.”
So here they are, the 2023 champs, staring down the barrel with cracks beginning to show. The Oklahoma City Thunder are rising. And the Denver Nuggets are left searching for answers. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic remains the anchor, but the tide is shifting fast. As Porter searches for his rhythm and Murray speaks his truth, Denver must now find answers. Because time, like momentum, waits for no one.
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