DENVER (AP) – Nikola Jokic He earned a triple-double after replacing Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Michael Porter Jr. He sank five three-pointers to help Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix 118-102 Tuesday night to take a 3-2 series lead.
Joker scored 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists for his 10th career triple-playoff game, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most by a position in NBA history.
“Honestly, I just want to win the game, so whatever it takes,” said Jokic, who had a best performance with 53 points in Game 4.
Game six is Thursday night in Phoenix.
“If we play the way we did today, we’ll have a chance” to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the NBA bubble in 2020, Jokic said.
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The Suns are just as confident they can pull this off as they were in rebounding from two losses in Denver last week.
“Yes. I’ve been here a few times now,” said Phoenix star Devin Booker. “I love it. Each game has its own character. Each game is its own movie, different settings and everything that goes along with it. We’re going to watch the movie, and see how we can be better at Game 6.”
The home team won every game in this series. If that’s true again, the decisive winner-takes-all showdown is back Sunday in Denver, where the top-seeded Nuggets have the NBA’s best domestic record of 40-7, including 6-0 in the playoffs.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone devised a five-point plan to get the Nuggets back in control of the series after losing two in Phoenix: overhaul their transitional defense, slow down Booker’s speed, get more off the bench, fire the MPJ and drop open 3s.
Check, check, check, check and check.
Porter bounced back from a quiet night in Game 4 with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long range. Denver outscored Phoenix 31-23 on fast break points. Booker scored 28 points, but missed 11 of 19 shots. Bruce Brown boosted the Nuggets bench with 25 points and the Nuggets sank 13 of 27 from long range.
Jamal Murray for Denver added 19 points, while Kevin Durant scored 26 for Phoenix, but also notched an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
The Nuggets converted a three-point halftime lead to 91-74 with a wide lead in the third quarter as Jokic hit seven of eight shots for 17 points and Booker was just 1-for-8 for 3 points.
The series reached a new level in the last minute of the third quarter when the Nuggets’ feud between the Browns and the Suns huddled on the field and Durant Jokic gave chills. Double Tech was evaluated on Durant and Brown.
“Just to see what they were painting,” Jokic said when asked why he and Brown were spying on the sun.
Durant described the dust as “nothing at all, it wasn’t anything serious. They were excited, they were big and we were trying to put some stuff on. So, there was nothing.”
So, they don’t have to hug and shake hands the next time they play.
Prior to this game, Jokic shared a warm pre-game – and basketball – embrace with Ishbia 48 hours after their fight over a loose ball in Phoenix in Game 4 resulted in a technical foul and a $25,000 fine for the Nuggets senior.
“I wish he would pay the fine,” Jokic cracked after the match.
“I think it just highlights a situation that was overblown,” Mallon said. “The NBA got it right and I give its owner, Matt Ishpea, a lot of credit when he came out after the game and said, ‘Listen, I don’t want anyone to be suspended. Let’s let the players decide this on the field. So, kudos to him for that.
“But yeah, I think it just speaks to Nicola’s personality and him being kind of smart.”
The NBA has placed stickers on the first several rows of seats—including the Ishbia seats—to remind spectators, especially those close to the action, of its Fan Code of Conduct policy and a reminder that violations may result in tickets being ejected and cancelled.
Tip-ins
The Suns: Sat next to Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker, derisively known to much of Colorado as “Midnight Mel” Eshepia due to his departure from the Buffaloes job just hours after telling the boost team he was in Boulder to stay.
Nuggets: This was the first game in the series that the leader held after one quarter to win the game. … VIPs attending the Broncos included new head coach Sean Payton, quarterbacks Russell Wilson and John Calipari, who coached Booker and Murray at Kentucky.
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