Nuggets take the lead, Cavaliers are back in the game

Are the Denver Nuggets objectively a better team than Oklahoma? No, but they are more experienced. Just like in the first game, the franchise from Colorado made sure to keep the game close, and then the pressure did its job and overwhelmed the young Thunder.

Although Nikola Jokic had a performance below his usual standards, his teammates stepped up, carried the game, and the Nuggets defeated Oklahoma 113–104 after overtime, taking a 2–1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series.

Above all, Aaron Gordon, who hit the three-pointer that sent the game into overtime, and then Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. carried the game and reminded the basketball world that they can indeed be of help to Jokic.

It was clear from the opening tip that this wouldn't be an ordinary game. In a matchup between these teams, you’d expect Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to dominate, but that wasn’t the case. Chet Holmgren carried the Thunder on his back, while Michael Porter Jr. did most of the scoring for Denver. However, out of nowhere in the second quarter, Russell Westbrook showed up and seemed to inject his wild energy into the whole team. Denver strung together several good defensive possessions, Porter and Gordon were hitting from deep, and the Thunder's lead quickly vanished.

It’s worth mentioning that the Nuggets often played zone defense, constantly keeping Oklahoma uncertain about which scheme they’d use, which made organizing their offense more difficult. Denver came out stronger in the second half, with Jokic opening the half with points and soon adding two assists. After one of his hand-offs, Porter Jr. was left alone and scorched the net to tie it at 69–69. From that moment on, the teams traded baskets, and the end of the third quarter was just a prelude to a spectacular fourth.

It all began with a corner three from Westbrook for 83–83. The game stayed tight until the end, waiting for a spark from an individual. That spark was Jalen Williams, who scored seven straight points, but all his effort was wasted by Gilgeous-Alexander.

Oklahoma had a three-point lead, but then Aaron Gordon was left alone in the corner and tied it at 102–102. Shai had a chance to be the hero, tried a mid-range jumper, and missed. Denver had the last possession of regulation, but as mentioned, Jokic missed a tough three-point attempt.

Still, it was Jokic who opened the overtime with an easy layup. Porter followed with a three, Murray added a layup, and Oklahoma didn’t know what hit them. Simply put, Denver knows how to close games like these, and the Thunder still have a lot to learn.

As for individual stats, Murray led the Nuggets with 27 points, Gordon added 22, and Porter had 21. On the Thunder’s side, Chet Holmgren supported Williams with 18 points, while Isaiah Hartenstein scored ten, though it should be noted the German thoroughly embarrassed himself in overtime.

On the other side, the Cleveland Cavaliers entered their series with the Indiana Pacers as big favorites but squandered the first two games at home and found themselves in a tough spot. They simply had to win Game 3 on the road — and they did.

They played an excellent game, repelled every attempt by Indiana to come back, and ultimately won 126–104. There's no time or reason for celebration, as they’ll need to replicate this performance in Game 4 to tie the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The key difference in this game was made by Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and Evan Mobley — three very important Cavaliers players who missed Game 2 (Garland also missed Game 1). Now they were back, and their presence was felt right from the start. The game opened with an 11–0 Cleveland run, and everything was going their way. The hosts started the game a bit sleepy, but woke up in time, began hitting threes, and with the crowd behind them, managed to tie the game by the end of the first quarter.

However, the Cavs shined again and made a huge 17–2 run, pulling away by 15, and then quickly by 20. The only issue for coach Kenny Atkinson was Garland picking up four cheap fouls.

That didn’t shake the visitors, who maintained their lead during the third quarter and successfully fended off every comeback attempt. They let up a bit in the last 12 minutes, and Indiana cut the lead to 11, but no further. Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus each hit a three-pointer, widening the gap again, prompting Rick Carlisle to put in the reserves, and the game was over.

Mitchell was the top scorer with an impressive 43 points, Strus added 20, Jarrett Allen (19 pts, 12 reb) and Evan Mobley (18 pts, 13 reb) both posted double-doubles, and Garland scored ten.

On the other side, Bennedict Mathurin had 23 points, Pascal Siakam added 18, Myles Turner had 15, and T.J. McConnell scored 12.

Game 4 of the series is scheduled for May 12 at 3:00 AM.

NBA PLAYOFFS - LAST NIGHT RESULTS

Pacers - Cavaliers 104 - 126

Nuggets - Thunder 113 - 104 (AET)