The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets played a classic playoff game on Tuesday night in Game 5, with the Thunder coming out with a 112-105 victory to take a 3-2 series lead.

Unlike their Game 4 rock fight that featured brick after brick from the outside, Game 5 was a great display of shot making and quality basketball on both ends of the floor. In the second half, both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic took their games to another level and showed why they were the two best players in basketball this season.

After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander gave Jokic his props and highlighted why he is so difficult to play against in a series.

“Above all, he's very smart,” the Thunder superstar said. “That's what gives him his edge. He;'s very smart, he's always manipulating the game. He's always thinking plays ahead. He's reading the defenses, he's reading the offenses, his intelligence is very high out there and he's always using it.”

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Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) shoots a three point basket as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) defends during the second half of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center
Thunder veteran Lu Dort’s confident claim about big shots in Game 5 vs. Nuggets
Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Luguentz Dort (5) hug after their team defeated the Denver Nuggets during the second half of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center with Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the background
Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s powerful ‘clear as day’ Lu Dort statement
Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate
Jalen Williams credits Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for inspiring Thunder in Game 5

Jokic had one of the best games of his career in the loss, finishing with 44 points and 15 rebounds on 17-for-25 shooting and 5-for-7 from 3-point range. He also turned the ball over just two times, as the big man was slicing and dicing the elite Thunder defense all night long.

Gilgeous-Alexander had his MVP moments in this one as well, finishing with 31 points and coming up big in the second half. The star guard got plenty of tough buckets when the Thunder needed him to most, including a clutch 3-pointer to increase the Oklahoma City lead to six in the final minutes.

Both stars have struggled at times throughout this series, but NBA fans finally got to see them both at their best at the same time own Tuesday night and it resulted in one of the best and most entertaining games of the entire playoffs.

Now, the Nuggets' backs are against the wall heading back home for Game 6, so they will need another epic performance from Jokic to keep pace with this deep and talented Thunder squad. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander and company will be trying to close the series out to get some extra rest before the Western Conference Finals after a brutal series.