Jokić’s 27-12-16 triple-double lifts Nuggets to Game 5 win despite injuries

Nikola Jokić kept Denver alive Monday night, finishing with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists in a 125-113 Game 5 win over Minnesota. (nba.com) (espn.com) The win cut Minnesota’s first-round series lead to 3-2 and sent Game 6 back to Minneapolis on Thursday, April 30. (nba.com) (espn.com) Denver did it without starting forward Aaron Gordon, who was ruled out before tipoff with left calf tightness. (espn.com) Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Spencer Jones added a playoff career-high 20, and Jokić recorded his 23rd career playoff triple-double. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Minnesota entered the night without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, its starting backcourt from Game 4. Edwards has a hyperextended left knee with a bone bruise, and DiVincenzo suffered a ruptured right Achilles. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The Timberwolves still made a late push after trailing by 27, trimming the margin to 10 in the fourth quarter before Denver closed it out. (nba.com) (espn.com) Denver’s edge showed up in the shot profile. The Nuggets outscored Minnesota 62-50 in the paint and shot 31-for-44 there, according to the official game book. (nba.com) Minnesota got 27 points from Julius Randle and briefly lost Naz Reid to a rolled right ankle late in the third quarter, adding to a rotation already hit by injuries. (espn.com) (nba.com) The series had swung hard before Monday. After Denver won Game 1, Minnesota took three straight, including a 112-96 Game 4 win powered by Ayo Dosunmu’s 43 points off the bench. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Now the matchup turns on whether Minnesota can finish the series without Edwards and DiVincenzo, or whether Jokić can drag Denver back from a 3-1 hole one more game. (nba.com) (nba.com)