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Player grades: Lu Dort's redemption helps Thunder in 112-105 Game 5 win over Nuggets

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City 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. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

OKLAHOMA CITY — After Nikola Jokic sagged off him from the perimeter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was more than happy to oblige. The pull-up 3-pointer swished in and served as the dagger. The MVP finalist could finally let out a sigh of relief as he saw one from deep finally drop in.

The Oklahoma City Thunder did enough to survive another thriller against the Denver Nuggets. A 112-105 Game 5 put them in the driver’s seat in their Round 2 playoff series with a 3-2 lead.

We’re watching the Thunder grow up in front of our eyes. After heartbreakers in Games 1 and 3, the Thunder have learned from their clutch-time shortcomings to win two straight nail-biters. From the jump, this looked like another game that would come down to the final possessions.

The Thunder got off to a rocking start with a 12-2 lead. But the Nuggets quickly shook that off. They finished the first quarter strong and held a 28-27 lead. That score was duplicated in the second frame. Considering how out of synch they looked, OKC was lucky to only be down 56-54 at halftime.

The offense hummed along for the Thunder. But the problem was on the other end — for the first time this series, too. The Nuggets sliced through OKC’s paint defense. Jokic snapped out of a three-game funk and looked like the three-time MVP he is.

As the Nuggets scored 30 points in the third quarter, it looked like the Thunder were on the verge of a consequential loss. Denver dominated on the boards and created plenty of second-chance looks. That was the difference on the scoreboard as OKC exited the third frame in an 86-78 hole.

Everything looked dire for the Thunder. They were close to a disastrous Game 5 loss that flipped the series in Denver’s favor. But like Game 4, OKC had a strong finish to overcome a double-digit deficit. Unlike Game 4, though, the bench lineup couldn’t bail them out this time.

Instead, it was Lu Dort — whom everybody was ready to light their torches and sharpen their pitchforks to go against. It’s been a bad playoff series for the longtime OKC starter. The Nuggets have conceded his outside looks and haven’t fallen at the clip we saw in the regular season.

It got to the point that Thunder fans were ready to see Daigneault pull Dort off the floor for good. Instead, he trusted his defensive staple and encouraged him to continue to take open looks. The bet paid off. Back-to-back 3-pointers made it a 92-87 deficit with under eight minutes left.

The Thunder had plenty of time to turn it into another high-leverage situation. Dort made another 3-pointer to make it a 92-90 game. Williams tied it up at 92 points apiece at the free-throw line. With five minutes left, both teams saw-sawed the lead a bit before OKC pulled away.

Jokic’s circus turnaround 3-pointer couldn’t even be celebrated. The Thunder found an open Williams for the 3-pointer to give OKC a 106-103 lead with 1:19 left. Gilgeous-Alexander then hit the dagger stepback 3-pointer on the next possession.

The Thunder once again came up big in the fourth quarter with a 34-19 scoring advantage. Oh, how the tables have turned. The veteran squad that won a championship a couple of years ago looked like an inexperienced young team in the final moments.

The Thunder shot 50% from the field and went 12-of-29 (41.4%) from 3. They shot 18-of-23 on free throws. They had 23 assists on 41 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with an efficient 31 points. Williams had 18 points and nine rebounds. Chet Holmgren tallied 14 points and eight rebounds. Dort scored 12 important points. Isaiah Hartenstein tallied 15 points and seven rebounds. Alex Caruso finished with 13 points and four rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets shot 41% from the field and went 13-of-46 (28.3%) from 3. They shot 12-of-13 on free throws. They had 20 assists on 40 baskets. Three Nuggets players scored double-digit points.

Jokic was a monster with 44 points on 17-of-25 shooting and 15 rebounds. Jamal Murray broke out with 28 points on 10-of-27 shooting. Aaron Gordon looked human with 13 points and five rebounds.

Talk about an NBA playoff win. The Thunder have quickly learned how to win these close contests. In the season’s biggest game, Gilgeous-Alexander stepped up as he went band-for-band against Jokic. The Thunder’s depth outweighed Denver’s in the final moments of another clutch win that’ll give most of OKC heart problems.

The Thunder now have an important 3-2 series lead. Two straight wins over the Nuggets put them ahead in this classic back-and-forth series with memorable finishes. The first seed will now have two chances to clinch the Round 2 series and move on to the Western Conference Finals.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket beside Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) during the second half of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Hunting for a superstar moment all series, Gilgeous-Alexander finally had one. A pull-up 3-pointer Jokic dared him to shoot served as the dagger of an improbable win that looked like a frustrating loss through the first three quarters. The Thunder were on the right side of the final result for the biggest game of the SGA era yet.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting, seven assists and six rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had two steals and two blocks.

It was ugly at the start. Gilgeous-Alexander only had 11 points at halftime. The Thunder were only down by two points, but it felt like 20. This was another game where the superbly efficient 30-point scorer couldn’t get it going at the biggest stage.

But thankfully, NBA games are two halves. After a break, the MVP finalist came out rejuvenated. Gilgeous-Alexander was a man on a mission. He went back to his bread and butter as a lethal mid-range jumper. The Nuggets had no hope of slowing him down.

After Jokic dominated the first half, Gilgeous-Alexander understood he needed to do the same to keep the Thunder in it. He scored 20 points in the second half. The jumper and drives finally fell through in the final moments. His sole 3-pointer sealed the result.

This is exactly what the Thunder needed out of Gilgeous-Alexander. He sliced through Denver’s defense and learned from its zone attacks. That was as comfortable as he looked in all the playoff series. Sprinkle in some clutch buckets, and this was a signature performance.

Lu Dort: A-plus

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City 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. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

To show how raw emotions can get in a playoff game, do yourself a favor and check your “For You” tab on Twitter. You’ll see plenty of accounts bemoan Dort’s return in the fourth quarter. They couldn’t believe Daigneault went back to him. You’ve benched him once already in Game 4. Do the same in Game 5, as his outside shots have stagnated OKC’s halfcourt offense.

Now, recheck your feed. You’ll see those same accounts apologize for their heat-of-the-moment reactions. Dort became the main character of the Thunder’s Game 5 thriller. The 26-year-old paid off their gamble with a hot outside shooting quarter.

Dort finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, three rebounds and one assist. All of his attempts were from the outside. Not the craziest box score, but it was about the timeliness of his buckets.

Being dared from the outside, Dort made back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers. He bailed a Thunder offense that devolved to early 2000s basketball. The nine points made it a two-point contest with over six minutes left. The OKC crowd went from groaning on his wind-up to hoping the ball swung back his way for a heat check.

This is what the NBA playoffs are about. Redemption. Dort’s Game 5 is a textbook example. After being unplayable for most of the Round 2 series, a scorching hot fourth quarter paid off Daigneault’s trust in him, despite some shaky moments.

Jalen Williams: B-plus

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate after a scoring against the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Receiving the ball from Dort on an extra pass, Williams thanked his teammate for his confidence with a corner 3-pointer. The catch-and-shoot look gave the Thunder a 106-103 lead they wouldn’t surrender in the final 78 seconds. It was another big-time bucket by the 24-year-old.

Williams finished with 18 points on 5-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds and four assists. He shot 2-of-5 from 3 and went 6-of-8 on free throws. He also had a steal.

This was about Williams’ start and end. He got off to a hot start with nine points in the first quarter to keep the Thunder afloat. In closing time, he had seven points as the Nuggets couldn’t stop hacking him on his drives to the basket.

It wasn’t his Game 3 masterpiece, but Williams did enough to help the Thunder. He earned his points the blue-collar way with drives to the basket, which resulted in free-throw trips. His outside make in the final two minutes was also a high-stress attempt that had the OKC crowd in mayhem.

Chet Holmgren: B

May 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) dunks against the Denver Nuggets during the second half of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Against Murray twice, Holmgren met his runner at the apex with his hands. The two shot-blocks were part of a string of impressive stops in the fourth quarter that helped the Thunder mount a comeback. Denver never looked comfortable in clutch time as the seven-footer’s presence was always on the back of its mind.

Holmgren finished with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, eight rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 1-of-3 on free throws. He also had two blocks and a steal.

Holmgren’s lobs have been a wrinkle that’s worked well for the Thunder in this playoff series. Denver has snoozed off when the 23-year-old is near the dunker spot and allowed several alley-oops through their first five games. It’s a failsafe play that OKC has used when the offense dries up.

The Thunder will need Holmgren to play like this more often. If he can finish plays near the rim and control the boards, that’ll go a long way to clinch the series.

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Lu Dort help Thunder in 112-105 Game 5 win over Nuggets

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