DENVER — Nikola Jokic had a triple-double after making up with Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Michael Porter Jr. sank 5 3-pointers to assist the Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix 118-102 on Tuesday evening in Sport 5 to regain the sequence lead.
Joker had 29 factors, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his tenth profession playoff triple-double, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for many by a middle in NBA historical past.
Sport 6 is Thursday evening in Phoenix.
The house workforce has gained each sport within the sequence. If that holds true once more, the decisive winner-take-all conflict will come Sunday again in Denver, the place the top-seeded Nuggets personal the NBA’s greatest house report at 39-7, together with 5-0 within the playoffs.
After Denver misplaced two straight at Phoenix, Nuggets coach Michael Malone devised a five-point plan for the Nuggets to regain management of the sequence: patch up their transition protection, gradual Devin Booker, get extra from his bench, unleash MPJ and knock down open 3s.
Test, test, test, test and test.
Porter bounced again from a foul evening in Sport 4 with 19 factors on 5-of-8 taking pictures from lengthy vary.
Denver outscored Phoenix 31-23 in fast-break factors; Booker scored 28 factors however missed 11 of 19 photographs; Bruce Brown boosted the Nuggets’ bench with 25 factors and the Nuggets sank 13 of 27 from lengthy vary.
Kevin Durant chipped in 26 factors for Phoenix.
The Nuggets turned a three-point halftime lead right into a 91-74 cushion with a domiinant third quarter wherein Jokic made seven of eight photographs for 17 factors and Booker was simply 1-for-8 for 3 factors.
The chippiness of the sequence reached a brand new degree within the last minute of the third quarter when Nuggets swingman Brown antagonized the Suns as they huddled up on the court docket and Durant gave Jokic a forearm shiver.
A double technical was assessed on Durant and Brown.
Earlier than the sport, Jokic shared a heat pregame embrace — and the basketball — with Ishbia 48 hours after their kerfuffle over a free ball in Phoenix in Sport 4 resulted in a technical foul and a $25,000 wonderful for the Nuggets huge man.
“I hoped he was going to pay my wonderful,” Jokic cracked after the sport.
The Nuggets jumped out to an early 14-point lead however the Suns trailed simply 52-49 at halftime, and the sport may need been tied had Booker’s almost halfcourt heave left his palms only a tick sooner.
