Jokic has triple-double as Nuggets
avoid elimination with 125-113 win against Timberwolves
[April 28, 2026]
By ARNIE STAPLETON
DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets rediscovered both their offensive
identity and their defensive intensity just in time to save their
season.
Nikola Jokic snapped out of his prolonged funk with a triple-double,
Spencer Jones provided a spark while subbing for injured Aaron
Gordon, and the Nuggets staved off elimination with a chippy 125-113
win over the injury-riddled Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of
their playoff series Monday night.
“I think we're a multidimensional team that can win a variety of
ways,” said Jones, who scored 20 points and keyed a third-quarter
spurt that gave Denver its big cushion.
Jokic had 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds for Denver, which
trimmed its deficit to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series. Jamal Murray
scored 24 points as the Nuggets, who led the NBA in scoring, enjoyed
a breakout after being held under 100 points twice in Minneapolis.
Jokic posted his 23rd playoff triple-double, third on the career
list, as the Nuggets stopped a three-game skid and played the way
they did most of the regular season in securing the No. 3 seed in
the Western Conference.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Minneapolis.
“They’re a championship team. They have championship DNA," said
Julius Randle, who led Minnesota with 27 points. "They’re going to
come out and have a sense of pride on their home court. They did
that tonight. So, credit to them. We get to go back to Minnesota and
have a chance to close it out.”
The Timberwolves, who trailed by 27, were without their starting
backcourt of Anthony Edwards (hyperextended knee) and Donte
DiVincenzo (ruptured Achilles), both of whom got hurt in Game 4, and
they briefly lost center Naz Reid to a rolled right ankle late in
the third quarter Monday night.
DiVincenzo underwent surgery Sunday, and Edwards is out indefinitely
— but an MRI confirmed the absence of structural damage, meaning he
could return to action if the Timberwolves advance.
Game 4 star Ayo Dosunmu added 18 points for Minnesota, but Rudy
Gobert was finally neutralized. He scored his only bucket with 20
seconds remaining in the third quarter with the Wolves trailing by
25.
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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, front right, drives the lane as
Minnesota Timberwolves centers Naz Reid, center left, and Rudy
Gobert, left, defend in the first half in Game 5 of a first-round
NBA playoffs basketball series Monday, April 27, 2026, in Denver.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Nuggets need to win the next two games to become just the 14th
of 299 teams facing a 3-1 deficit to come back to win an NBA playoff
series. Denver was the last team to accomplish the feat, doing it
twice in the bubble in 2020, against the Jazz and Lakers.
The Wolves started out sloppy with nine first-quarter turnovers and
finished with 25. Jokic swished a 29-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to
give Denver a 60-51 halftime lead.
“It’s just a good win and then you move on,” Nuggets coach David
Adelman said. “Tomorrow we’ll sit down and talk with the guys, get
them right, give us a chance to go through things on Wednesday and
try to win on Thursday.”
Jones, who scored 11 points in the first four games of the series,
had 11 in a six-minute stretch in the fourth quarter when the
Nuggets pulled away. He sank a trio of 3-pointers and added a
breakaway dunk after learning just before tipoff that he'd start in
place of Gordon (calf).
Jaden McDaniels, whose meaningless layup in the final seconds of
Game 4 drew the wrath of Jokic and led to a dustup that resulted in
ejections and fines and only added more fuel to an already-heated
playoff rivalry, got into early foul trouble and scored 13 points.
He was razzed by the Ball Arena crowd every time he touched the
ball.
“We just ended up losing the day,” McDaniels said, “but we’re going
to win the next one.”
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