In a thrilling battle, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a 3-2 series lead over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals with a 112-105 win in Game 5 on Tuesday night (May 13).  With the win, the Thunder captured their first lead in the series for the Thunder, and now have the opportunity to clinch the series in Game 6 on Thursday (May 15) in Denver. 

Although they trailed with eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Thunder outscored the Nuggets 34-19 as MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, making it his seventh career 30-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game in the playoffs. 

During the fourth quarter, Lu Dort, one of the best defenders in the league, put on his offensive hat and hit three consecutive 3-pointers, cutting Denver's lead down 92-90 with 6:20 to go.

"We had no choice. The game obviously wasn't going our way. But we always say the answer is never a hero play or anything out of the ordinary," Gilgeous-Alexander said about the comeback win. "It's being who we are. It's trusting each other playing with all five on both ends. Whatever the problem is, we can fix it with the collective effort."

To win the game, the Thunder had to stave off one of Nikola Jokić’s best performances. The three-time MVP scored 44 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dished out five assists. Jamal Murray chipped in with 28 points.

Thunder coach Mike Daigneault praised SGA’s cool demeanor during the fourth quarter, although the team was trailing.

"I thought he got more and more composed as the game went on," Daigneault said." Despite the fact that the pressure was mounting and it got hotter in there, he got cooler and just settled into it, made the right plays and let the game tell him what to do. He was humble."

Game 6, Thunder versus Nuggets is scheduled for Thursday.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Indiana Pacers pulled off an upset by eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 114-105 win. The victory marked their second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. They won all three games at Cleveland's Rocket Arena. 

Shaking off the “overrated” allegations once again, Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and Pascal Siakam added 21 to clinch the series 4-1.

Although the Cavaliers, who had their backs up against the wall, surged to a 44-25 lead in the second quarter, the Pacers were never shaken and eventually took control of the game in the second half.

"We didn't panic after that rough start to the first quarter. We talked about how we knew that they were going to throw a haymaker there," Haliburton said after the game. "But I thought we weathered the storm the right way and got going from there."

"I have to give our guys credit; they earned this," added Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. "This was one of the best teams in the league. I'm sorry their season had to end like this. They had the perfect season, and we came along and were hot at the right time."

For the Cavs, the season couldn’t end on a more disappointing note. After winning 64 games in the regular season, the second-most in franchise history, they were considered favorites to make it to the Finals. The injury bug hit Cleveland at the worst time. Donovan Mitchell was battling an ankle injury, scoring a game-high 35 points in a valiant effort. Darius Garland’s sprained big toe caused him to perform far below what’s been expected of him. Evan Mobley, another Cavs All-Star, played with an injured ankle that caused him to miss game 3.

The Pacers now await the winner of the Knicks and Celtics series. Game 5 is on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.