NBA playoffs: Thunder erase double-digit deficit to take 3-2 lead vs. Nuggets

It's been more difficult than expected, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are a win away from surviving the Denver Nuggets.

12-105The owners of the top record in the NBA this season erased a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter of Game 5 to win 112-105 and take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series. Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

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If there was a performance that won the game for OKC, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 31 points on 12-of-23 shooting with seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

If it was a stretch that won it, look no further than Lu Dort's three straight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Those triples took advantage of a seven-minute stretch without a field goal for the Nuggets, who led by as much as 12 points in the third quarter and by eight entering the fourth quarter.

Before that, the Thunder had looked stuck in quicksand against a less talented but more energetic opponent, led by a 44-point, 15-rebound night from Nikola Jokić. It still took some late-game execution to escape with a win, with a flurry from Gilgeous-Alexander in the final minutes that had the Paycom Center crowd chanting "M-V-P."