Nuggets One Win Away From Eliminating Suns After Jokic Powers Game 5 Romp

• The Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns in Game 5
• Nikola Jokic made history with his triple-double performance
• The Nuggets head to Phoenix with a 3-2 series lead

The Denver Nuggets moved to within one win away from a trip to the Western Conference finals after topping the Phoenix Suns 118-102 in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Five players scored in double figures for the Nuggets, who hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Action shifts to Phoenix for Game 6 on Thursday night.

Nikola Jokic starred for the Nuggets in the Game 5 win, finishing with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists to register his 10th career triple-double in the playoffs, per ESPN.

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He passed Wilt Chamberlain for the most triple-doubles in the postseason by a center in NBA history.

Jokic’s supporting cast steps up

Michael Porter Jr. bounced back from a poor performance in Game 4, scoring 19 points on 5 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon also contributed, scoring 19 and 10 points, respectively.

Bruce Brown provided the offense off the bench, dropping 25 points in 27 minutes. He shot 7 of 11 from the field and went 9 of 10 from the free-throw line.

The Nuggets started strong in this contest, racing to a 35-24 lead after the first quarter.

The Suns battled back, outscoring the Nuggets 25-17 in the second quarter to enter the halftime break trailing by just three points.

Jokic ignites third-quarter surge

Denver eased the fans’ nerves in the third quarter, outscoring Phoenix 39-25 to turn a slim 52-49 lead into a 91-74 advantage.

Jamal Murray scores 34 as Denver Nuggets ease past Phoenix Suns in Game 1

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Jokic fueled that surge, scoring 17 of his 29 points in the third quarter. He punished the Suns’ defense in that frame, shooting 7 of 8 from the field.

The Nuggets also did a great job with their defense on Devin Booker. He struggled in the third quarter, scoring just three points on 1 of 8 shooting.

Things got heated late in that quarter, with Durant and Bruce Brown given technical fouls.

Durant shoved Jokic with his forearm while the Suns were in a huddle.

Embiid delivers in Game 5

Sports Brief recently reported on the fans’ reactions to Embiid’s performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Fans praised Embiid after he scored 33 points in Philadelphia’s 115-103 win over Boston on Tuesday night.

Some fans were amazed that he was able to deliver that kind of performance while still dealing with a knee injury.