After dropping back-to-back games against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Denver Nuggets are on the brink of elimination with a 3-2 series deficit.

As Jaylin Williams played some of the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest minutes, you couldn't help but laugh at the conversations around him in the early parts of the regular season. Designated as Nikola Jokic's physical defender,

As for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray? They scoff at the notion of fatigue playing a factor in back-to-back blown leads to the Thunder.

The Denver Nuggets dropped a critical Game 5 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night by a final score of 112-105. It was a painful loss, as Denver led by as many as 12 points and was up 86-78 at the start of the fourth quarter.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, and the Thunder beat the Nuggets, 112-105, on Tuesday night to go up 3-2 in their Western Conference semifinal series. Oklahoma City overcame a 44-point, 15-rebound night from Denver’s Nikola Jokic. The Thunder can clinch the series on Thursday in Denver.

The Nuggets are on the brink of elimination after a 12-point lead in the second half disappeared in Oklahoma City.

Nikola Jokić is the best basketball player on the planet, and he was also, importantly, the NBA's best player this season. But he is also almost certainly going to fall short in MVP voting to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for reasons that were on full display in Game 5.