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.

Not even an astounding performance from Nikola Jokić was enough to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Denver can swing a trade similar to last year's between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, in which San Antonio sent the No. 8 pick to Minnesota for a lightly protected first-round swap six years down the road and an unprotected swap in seven.

Denver led by eight points heading into the fourth quarter before dropping the final period by 15 points and losing at a critical pivot point in the series. Jokic finished the night with 44 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 44 minutes of action.

Denver was last in the league in 3-point attempts per game during the regular season (31.9), but that number has jumped to 38.5 3PA in the four contests against OKC. In their first-round series versus the LA Clippers, the Nuggets fired up an average of just 29.0 3PA across seven games.

It wasn't until this season that Seattle's worst sports nightmare looked borderline inevitable. That's why the Nuggets suddenly have garnered an ardent fan base in the Pacific Northwest.

Charles Barkley called out the NBA on Sunday night after they made a controversial decision during the Denver Nuggets second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.