There was a strange feel around Denver. A team that had dominated all season suddenly looked like it was staring into the abyss, detached from the very things that had made it so good. Three straight defeats, a 3-1 hole, elimination looming. Minnesota were battered by major injuries. In that spot, a shrug was never going to cut it. Denver needed a statement.
It came from Nikola Jokic. And with him, the Nuggets got more than a win: 125-113 over Minnesota, and the series is alive again. Not flipped. Just dragged back into motion.
Jokic shakes off the fog
Rarely have we seen him this quiet in a series. Less influential, less sharp, almost fading into the background. Tonight, Jokic set it straight. 27 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds. A triple-double, his 23rd in the playoffs, and it says everything about his impact.
Nikola Jokic was back to his best tonight, to help stave off elimination!
27 PTS
12 REB
16 AST pic.twitter.com/s51RTbmAwI— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) April 28, 2026
But the numbers only tell part of it. What really changed was the feel. The pace was his again. Every possession ran through him, every read was clean. He didn’t force it, just controlled everything. And when he buried that three from the parking lot just before half-time, it was more than a basket. It was a message: Denver are still here.
The rest finally shows up
Jokic did not do it alone. Jamal Murray chipped in with 24 points, aggressive and fully engaged. Then came the surprise. Spencer Jones, anonymous until then, arrived at the perfect time with 11 points in six minutes in the fourth quarter. Three threes, a transition dunk, and suddenly the margin was gone for good. One of those stretches you never see coming, then it changes everything.
Denver had that depth back, that ability to hurt you from every angle. The same quality that carried them through the regular season.
But the man who caught fire was Cameron Johnson. In the third quarter, he caught light and finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. His best game of the series, full of sharp plays and a real sign of Denver’s surge in Game 5.
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Minnesota short-handed, but still scrapping
Across the floor, the situation was grim. No Anthony Edwards, out with a knee issue for several weeks. No Donte DiVincenzo either, after an Achilles tear in the last game. Even Naz Reid had to leave the floor briefly after Tim Hardaway Jr stepped on his ankle in the third quarter.
L’action en question : pic.twitter.com/Proqhtg5z4
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) April 28, 2026
Minnesota are playing with what they have left and, to their credit, they kept going. Julius Randle led the attack with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Ayo Dosunmu added 18, while McDaniels had a rough night, especially on the defensive end.
The early damage was too much, with the lead stretching to 27 at one point. That kind of gap turns the night into a chase, again and again. And then there were the 25 turnovers, including nine in the first quarter, which is a killer in a game like this.
Built from the opening tip
Denver wasted no time killing any doubt. The Wolves coughed it up nine times in the first quarter alone. The tone was set: hard defence, high tempo, sharp execution.
At half-time, Denver were ahead. And even when Minnesota cut it to 10 in the final quarter, nothing really changed. Denver were in control. This time, they were not going to let go.
A rivalry getting nastier
The mood is not exactly helping to calm things down. After the tensions of the previous game and the heavy contact, the series is getting more hostile by the minute. Jaden McDaniels, quickly whistled for fouls, summed up the nervy atmosphere.
Every possession has become a fight. Every duel, a collision. And in that kind of game, Denver kept a clearer head.
Still a mountain, but they are alive
The task remains huge. Coming back from 3-1 is rare. Very rare. But these Nuggets have done it before. Twice, in 2020 against the Jazz and the Clippers. And that matters. They do not control the series yet. They have only avoided the end.
Game 6 is in Minnesota. The Wolves will be at home this time, still without Edwards. With Jokic back to himself and the group reconnected, Denver have kicked this thing back into gear.
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