Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic transcended basketball and existence in a third period that managed to out-do his first quarter effort to will his Denver Nuggets to the first home win win of the series over Minnesota. The Wolves missed their steady floor general, Mike Conley (achilles soreness) – plugging in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and later, Monte Morris, in his place without much detriment in terms of a deficit until that decisive second half. Karl-Anthony Towns (23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals) weathered a left knee injury to lead his team in scoring in defeat. Rudy Gobert was perfect from the field and had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but a rare off-game from Anthony Edwards (18 points and 9 assists) proved costly.

MVP Nikola Jokic (40 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, and 0 turnovers) took it to Minnesota despite a quieter game from Jamal Murray (16 points and 4 assists). However, Aaron Gordon (18 points and 6 assists) and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope (16 points and 5 rebounds) picked up the slack with Christian Braun (10 points and 5 rebounds) excelling again off the bench.

In the first quarter, Towns figured more prominently in shot creation. Jokic juked Gobert on a Dream Shake-like move – setting the tone to again have his way with the “Defensive Player of the Year.” Towns went down briefly with a left knee setback but soon returned to the game. Jokic ended a brief Nuggets dry-spell by cooking Naz Reid in the post. Alexander-Walker’s second three kept Minnessota close, but an acrobatic transition lay-up by Reggie Jackson made it 28-26 Nuggets after one.

Gobert started the second stanza with two quick scores. Braun drew a second foul on Reid. Moments later, Gordon drew a charge and third foul on Reid – sending him to the bench for the half. The teams stayed stuck at 31 over numerous fraught possessions, then an enthralling bartering of buckets took place. The Nuggets sandwiched two forceful buckets by Braun around a Gordon jam to get back on top. Jokic’s stepback three put them up seven, and Murray’s floater made it 50-44 at the half.

Towns benefited from the long break to initiate a Wolves run to start the third. Gordon wheeled-and-dealed his way into a lay-up and moments later threw down a dunk to nudge Denver back up. Nokic, just like his game four second half, became a glorious reincarnation of Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan the rest of the period to get Denver back in the driver’s seat, and the Nuggets again couldn’t be stopped for much of the frame. Towns tried to drive it around three Nuggets and had the ball stripped. After another OMG and-1 over Gobert, Jokic and Denver went into the fourth up 88-74.

• Porter, Jr. can stand to improve his drive and spinning fade shot that Manu Ginobili mastered later in his career.
• Rob Mahoney of The Ringer wrote a celebratory piece on Gordon earlier today that’s worth a long read in light of the forward’s game 4 and 5 output.
• Edwards, like Jokic did tonight from the onset, needs to wrest offensive control from his Wolves teammates from the get-go in game 6 AND 7. The answer isn’t a two-man game with he and Gobert on any occasion.
• The ax-wielding Nugget logo with the little guy in shorts is still the best one.
• Denver Sequence of the Game: Gordon tapped the ball away from Edwards and soared in from the right wing to dunk it over Towns late in the first half.
• Denver’s Other Sequence of the Game: After Murray stripped a driving Edwards in the fourth, he threw it ahead to a runaway Jokic for a dunk and even more audaciously, some giddy stompy-steps from the MVP after the score.
• With many of the possessions going late into the shotclock, the teams struggled to cobble together scoring bursts from the tipoff. Towns hit his first three and converted a baseline floater to give the Wolves an early lead. Gordon picked up his second foul 3+ minutes in. Minnesota found useful three point scoring early on from Alexander-Walker and Jaden McDaniels. Jokic responded by hitting his first three attempts and drawing multiple fouls. A wing three from Porter, Jr. nudged Denver ahead, but Justin Holliday also picked up his second foul. Kyle Anderson’s pull-up tied the game. Jokic’s dominant quarter, where he scored half his team’s points, helped Denver move ahead by two.
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• Two scores by Gobert to start the second period put Minnesota back up and drew the ire of Coach Mike Malone, who was teed up. Reid’s third foul forced an ailing Towns back in. Gordon soared in for a tip-slam to tie the game again. After the Malone technical, Denver drew three consecutive charges. Braun’s manly lay-in put the Nuggets back up two. After Jokic found a diving Gordon for a powerful dunk, Jamal Crawford gushed “He’s playing like a supersized Scottie Pippen right now!” A coach’s challenge on a contested foul lasted well over five minutes. Jokic did the Steve Smith ‘Smitty’ move on Gobert and made a hook over him. Denver maintained a six point lead going into the half.
• Towns two quick buckets and assist helped Minnesota make an 11-3 run to re-gain the lead. That advantage was short-lived, as Gordon’s energy and Murray’s slithery moves spearheaded a run. Jokic resumed his interior wizardry as Denver made seven field goals in a row. After Jokic whipped a behind the back pass to Gordon, Kevin Harlan quipped “What ball skills by the MVP!” Jokic’s spin move and over-the-head flip and-1 over Gobert and Anderson put the Nuggets up 11. By the time Jokic and the Nuggets were done, they had pushed their six point halftime advantage out to 14.
• A Reid dunk punctuated another brief run by Minnesota to start the fourth. Two Caldwell-Pope threes shoved the Wolves back down 16. Reid and Towns staged a late comeback attempt, but a shotclock-beating stepback three from Jokic essentially ended it.