Nuggets hold off Jazz in close Game 5 victory

The Nuggets beat the Jazz in a very close Game 5.

The Utah Jazz struggled in the regular season against the Denver Nuggets, as their usually sharp defense faltered against the versatile Nikola Jokic and the deadly Jamal Murray. Quin Snyder made sure to reverse Utah’s fortunes in the playoffs, as the No. 6 seed Jazz lept out to a 3-1 series lead against the No. 3 seed Nuggets.

Despite trailing 3-1 in the series and going into the half losing by nine in Game 5, Murray and the Nuggets dug deep to pull out a victory. After Murray caught fire in the second half, Mike Malone and Denver pulled out a 117-107 win over the Jazz that cut Utah’s series lead to 3-2 and kept the Nuggets’ title hopes alive.

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What else did you miss in Game 5 between the Jazz and Nuggets?

Key Matchup: Jamal Murray vs Donovan Mitchell

These two guards are both the straw that stirs their respective team’s drink, and their headbutting in this series has led to Mitchell topping 50 points twice and Murray getting unfathomably hot at any given moment. While Mitchell put up a respectable 30 points and five assists on 50 percent shooting, Murray’s barrage of clutch shots led to him finishing with 42 points on 17-26 shooting. There might be better guards in the league, but Murray is in the top tier across the league when it comes to getting scorching hot at the snap of a finger.

In a pulse-pounding Game 5, it was Murray who won the day and sent kept the Nuggets alive by the skin of their teeth.

Key Lineup: Murray running the show with Monte Morris on the bench

Both Morris and Paul Millsap are solid contributors on this Nuggets team, but this is one game they both want to forget, as they combined for just eight total points. Morris, who often handles point guard duties with Murray at the 2 guard spot, was locked on the bench for most of the second half while Murray ran the show. While Morris was -18 in 18 minutes and made just one shot, Murray proved that the Denver offense is more than capable of running at peak performance with him at the point and defensive wings like Torrey Craig on the perimeter.

LVP: Rudy Gobert

Gobert might’ve picked up a double-double after scoring 11 points and snatching 12 boards, but the normally impenetrable French center looked mortal on defense against Jokic. Not only did Jokic start off the game going 8-8 from the field, including 5-5 from deep, in the first quarter, but he finished with 31 points on 12-19 shooting. When Jokic is in rhythm, his ability to score inside and distribute can really kick the Denver offense into high gear.

Gobert is one of the best defensive players and rim runners in this league, and he needs to play better than he did tonight if Utah wants to hold on to his series lead.