OKLAHOMA CITY — As the third quarter bled into the final 12 minutes of a dynamic Game 5 between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, Nuggets interim coach David Adelman took superstar Nikola Jokić aside and asked him a direct question.
How do you feel? Adelman said. Can you play through the rest of the game?
Jokić nodded his head, and he assured his coach that he had the energy needed to forego his normal second-half rest and stay in the fray. Like a trainer checking his boxer, Adelman took one last gaze into Jokić’s eyes. He decided to keep one of the best players in the world in what was the most important game of the series.
In the moments following Denver’s 112-105 loss to the Thunder at a packed and loud Paycom Center, Adelman owned that decision to play Jokić the entire second half. The Nuggets would run out of gas down the stretch. Denver would surrender a nine-point lead with 10 minutes remaining, as a younger and fresher Oklahoma City displayed more quickness and energy down the stretch to grab a 3-2 series advantage.
“If fatigue was a factor, it’s on me,” Adelman said.
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Nikola Jokić, Nuggets run out of gas as Thunder’s depth becomes defining factor