Jamal Murray Erupts as Nuggets Take 3-2 Series Lead vs. LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs

Jamal Murray posted a game-high 23 points and Nikola Jokic added 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as the No. 2 seed Denver Nuggets beat the No. 7 San Antonio Spurs 108-90 in Game 5 of their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series Tuesday.

Denver, which made 50.0 percent of its shot attempts, led by 11 at the half and 22 following the third quarter en route to the 18-point blowout.

LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan each scored 17 points for San Antonio, who fell behind 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Nikola Jokic’s Passing, Defense the Keys to Series Turnaround

The Nuggets looked like they were in serious trouble after losing Game 3, 118-108.

Denver needed to win one game in San Antonio, where the team had lost 14 straight games, in order to have a chance at winning the series.

Sure enough, the Nuggets did just that with a 117-103 win, and they followed that up with their 18-point victory on Tuesday

Numerous reasons exist for the turnaround, which include a starting lineup change, a resurgent bench and some improved backcourt shooting.

Those reasons pale in comparison to Jokic’s passing and defense, which have been sensational.

Jokic’s passing has always been sharp, but his chemistry with the Nuggets guards was the difference in a 53-42 halftime edge.

Check out the masterful two-man game here, which ended in an easy Murray layup.

Jokic also got a nice hockey assist, which eventually led to a Gary Harris three:

Nick Kosmider of The Athletic gave Jokic a well-deserved shout-out:

However, Jokic’s defense was on point all night.

That trend started in Game 4, which Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports pointed out:

His excellent play only continued in Game 5. Harrison Wind of BSN Denver complimented Jokic’s effort:

Jokic notably turned away a Derrick White shot here:

Paul Garcia of Project Spurs pointed out Denver’s struggles in the restricted area, specifically Aldridge:

If Jokic continues finding Nuggets guards for high-percentage shots and his defense continues to confound the Spurs, then this series will be over in six barring a San Antonio three-point barrage at home.

Spurs’ Three-Point Shooting Crucial to Force Game 7

The Spurs are the NBA’s No. 1 three-point shooting team, which helped catapult them into the playoffs despite a defense that ranked tied for No. 18 in efficiency during the season, according to ESPN.com.

The defense has largely been better after the All-Star break, with the team noticeably finishing 10th in defensive rating, per NBA.com.

However, the Spurs’ defensive efforts have resembled their first-half form over the last two games, and their offense hasn’t been good enough to compensate for it.

Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News pointed out the deadly combination:

And former Nuggets great Alex English compared the two teams’ ball movements. One was hard to defend, and one proved much easier:

Ultimately, the key to forcing Game 7 may simply lie in San Antonio’s ability to shake off its three-point shooting slump and get hot from deep.

It’s easier said than done, of course, but the Spurs can’t win if Denver stays potent from the arc. Denver has hit 29-of-64 three-pointers over its last two games for a 45.3 percent success rate.

On the other end, Spurs starters combined to hit just three three-pointers in seven tries on Tuesday. The bench shot just 4-of-17 from beyond the arc, following up a 5-of-17 night for the team as a whole in Game 4.

Ultimately, the Spurs will be lucky to see Denver’s offense, which ESPN.com ranked ninth in efficiency, fail again in this series after finding a groove in recent games. San Antonio’s defense just isn’t good enough to hang with Denver in a seven-game series, which has been clearly evident this week.

Here’s the good news for Spurs fans: San Antonio is generally a far better outside shooting team than Denver, and that could be the difference in Game 6.

During the season, San Antonio shot 39.2 percent from the field, while Denver finished tied for 17th in the league by hitting 35.1 percent of their makes.

The Nuggets scored 21 more points from beyond the arc than the Spurs on Tuesday. That naturally isn’t going to fly on Thursday in Game 6.

Also, the Spurs will be home, where they hit 41.6 percent of their threes this year. Denver is also a poor road team, going 20-21.

The bottom line is the Spurs have no answer for Jokic, and they have no response for Murray if the third-year guard enters one of his patented hot streaks. Gary Harris also looks like the Gary Harris from last season after struggling with injuries this year.

Therefore, the key for the Spurs forcing Game 7 may be simply outshooting them from deep. It’s easier said than done, but that should end up being the difference.

What’s Next?

San Antonio will host Denver for Game 6 on Thursday evening.