Can the Nuggets Stave off Elimination?
In what turned out to be another close, competitive bout between the two Western Conference powers, the Denver Nuggets fell short once more to the Oklahoma City Thunder, losing 112-105, putting the Thunder up 3-2. Game Six is set to take place in the Mile High City, where Denver hopes to notch one win to stave off elimination and extend this series. Can they, though? Can the Nuggets rise up for one game against the West’s top seed?
For starters, in order for Denver to avoid elimination tomorrow night, the Nuggets will need their two stars, Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, to put on two more herculean efforts. In Game Five, the Nuggets’ center dropped 44 points and 15 rebounds in one of the all-time playoff showings following his abysmal performances in the last several games. As for Jamal Murray, the guard dropped 28 points as well. What is alarming about these statlines, though is that despite these impressive showings, the Nuggets still lost Game Five. While this loss can be attributed to fatigue, with Nuggets players outside of Jokić going one for 15 on field goals in the fourth quarter, it is more about a lack of production for the Nuggets’ non-star players.
In both of the games that Denver won in this series, Aaron Gordon went for at least 20 points. As for the last two games that Denver lost, Aaron Gordon only produced 13 and 15 points. These low showings coincide with Michael Porter Jr, who has only managed two and three points in Games Four and Five after his 21-point performance in Game Three. Former MVP Russell Westbrook has also struggled as of late, only pouring in six points on average in the last three games after dropping 18 and 19 points in Games One and Two.
In each of the last two games, the Nuggets held a multiple-point lead in the fourth quarter only for the Thunder to chip away at that lead and eventually surpass it for the victory. This showcases that Denver has the ability to beat the Thunder, which they’ve already done twice this series as well. If players like Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr, and Russell Westbrook can evoke their performances from earlier in this series, Denver has all the tools it needs to not only win Game Six, but to take the series as well. The home crowd is sure to give the Nuggets some much-needed life in Game Six, but these players must step up alongside Jokić and Murray or Denver’s season will be done in short order.
