Nikola Jokic had the edge the individual stats battle, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City won the war of attrition in Game 5.
And SGA has certainly taken notice of yet another brilliant performance by his closest competitor for this year’s MVP race.
"Above all, I think he is very smart," Gilgeous-Alexander spoke about Jokic in the Thunder’s gutsy 112-105 triumph that put the Thunder on the cusp of the West Finals.
"Above all, I think he is very smart."
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025
SGA gives major props to Nikola Jokic postgame 🤝
Both players put on a dazzling battle in a series that continues to live up to the hype. Jokic exploded for 44 points – the second-highest playoff scoring game of his NBA career – on top of 15 rebounds in 44 minutes, while SGA bucked a slow start to fire 31 markers.
[ALSO READ: SGA puts Thunder on cusp of West Finals after foiling Nikola Jokic’s 44, Nuggets in Game 5]
Including one of his five triples made is coming off his signature “Sombor Shuffle” — a high-arching, side-stepped, one-legged fadeaway — over the outstretched arms of Chet Holmgren to tie the game at 103-apiece with 1:40 seconds left in regulation.
JOKER WITH A CRAZY 3 FOR 44!
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025
GET TO TNT FOR A WILD GAME 5 FINISH!!!
“He’s always manipulating the game and thinking ahead. His intelligence is very high out there and he’s always using it,” SGA added regarding the three-time MVP.
Gilgeous-Alexander did most of his damage in the fourth quarter where OKC erased an eight-point deficit early. He scored 10 of the Thunder’s final 16 points, including hitting the dagger triple that put his team further ahead, 109-103, with 47.1 ticks remaining.
SGA's 31 SECURE 3-2 OKC LEAD IN WEST SEMIS!
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025
??? 31 points
??? 7 assists
??? 6 rebounds
??? 2 steals
??? 2 blocks
The @okcthunder now look to close the series Thursday at 8:30pm/et on ESPN 🍿
“What the great players do is they rise in the face of those challenges and adversities,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
He continued: "And I just thought he got more and more composed as the game went on. And despite the fact that the pressure was mounting and it got hotter in there, he got cooler and just kind of settled into it, made the right plays, let the game tell him what to do.”
Jalen Williams logged 18 points as his clutch triple late gave OKC a slim 106-103 advantage and eventually hung on. Lu Dort drilled three straight triples in a two-minute span after scoring just three points in the first three quarters to trim Denver's lead to 92-90 midway through the fourth.
“Winning is the end all be all. That’s why I play basketball. Whatever it takes to get that done is what our minds are on,” Gilgeous-Alexander bared.
🗣? "Winning is the end all be all. That's why I play basketball."
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025
SGA (31 points, 7 assists) on doing whatever it takes to win after OKC secured a 3-2 lead tonight in West Semis ??
“It’s being who we are… just trusting each other, fighting on both ends [of the floor] and whatever problem is, we could fix it with a collective effort,” SGA added.
