BBNBA: Clutch scoring by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has OKC one win from Conference Finals

Not only is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the verge of being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, but he’s now just one win away from making his first-ever Conference Finals. The fact that it would come against a three-time MVP winner and the assumed runner-up for this year’s award, Nikola Jokic, is just the icing on the cake — if he can take care of business in Game 6, that is.

After a hot start to Game 5 saw the Oklahoma City Thunder jump out to a 10-point lead midway through the opening quarter, the Denver Nuggets quickly settled in. Denver did not trail again until the final closing minutes of the fourth quarter. OKC managed to tie the game early in the third quarter before another Nuggets run blew the game open again. Jamal Murray finished with 28 points for Denver (13 coming in the third quarter alone), but on an ugly 10-27 shooting clip in 42 minutes.

The Nuggets failed to close the door on OKC down the stretch, though. The Thunder outscored Denver by 15 points in the final period. A miracle heave from Jokic — who posted 44 points and 15 rebounds — at the shot clock buzzer was a timely triple in the final two minutes, but Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC found a way to secure a 112-105 win and a 3-2 series advantage.

SGA ended his night with 31 points (12-23 FG), seven assists, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 39 minutes. He now leads all players in the second round in “clutch” scoring. The former Wildcat’s dagger three-pointer with under 50 seconds was the final nail in Denver’s coffin. Also for OKC, Cason Wallace chipped in four points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in his 17 minutes of action.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hits the biggest bucket of his career.

Dagger bucket to put OKC up 3-2. pic.twitter.com/yRTwRyRYRJ

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) May 14, 2025

Game 6 heads back to Denver with the series on the line. Tipoff is set for Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. OKC is looking to make its first Conference Finals appearance since the 2015-16 season.

5/13/25 Statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	112-105 W vs. DEN	31	12-23 (1-3)	6	7	2	2	5	8	39
Jamal Murray (DEN)	112-105 L @ OKC	28	10-27 (3-13)	4	3	0	1	4	-5	42
Cason Wallace (OKC)	112-105 W vs. DEN	4	1-2 (0-1)	2	2	2	0	1	2	17
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	114-105 W @ CLE	DNP-Achilles	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference Semifinals | Game 5 | NYK leads 3-1
7:00 (TNT) | (3) Knicks (Towns) @ (2) Celtics

Western Conference Semifinals | Game 5 | MIN leads 3-1
9:30 (TNT) | (7) Warriors (Knox) @ (6) Timberwolves (Dillingham, Randle)