The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 118-102 in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, leading 3-2 in the series.

Nikola Jokic shot 12-for-20 from the field to drop 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, which is his 10th triple-double in the postseason, the fifth-most in NBA history. He also became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1963 to get at least 300 points, 100 rebounds and 75 assists in the first 10 playoff games in one season.

However, Jokic's incredible performance doesn't mean he carried the team offensively all by himself, like he did in the previous two straight losses. On the contrary, he set more picks for teammates, did more catch-and-shoot work and only stood out to take over in the third quarter with 17 points and three assists.

The Nuggets managed to secure a big win without overloading Jokic because his teammates shouldered more offensive duties on Tuesday night than they did in the previous two lost games of the series. Michael Porter Jr. went 4-for-5 from downtown to score 14 points in the first quarter, making key contributions to placing his side on a 11-point lead (35-24).

Both Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon did a good job of moving the ball for better shooting opportunities as each delivered six assists. Murray also joined Bruce Brown to score 20 points collectively in the fourth quarter, making sure that the Nuggets stand up to the opponents' final rally.

Brown played a key role in the Nuggets' efficient offense in Tuesday's game, not only with 25 points off the bench, but also via his continuous efforts to go for fast break and aggressiveness. His side led 31-25 in transitional points while Brown earned (10) and made (nine) the most free throws on the court.

Compared with the Nuggets' equal distribution of offensive work, the Suns had only Kevin Durant and Devin Booker to rely on in the pivotal Game 5, the same as they did during most time of this series. Nonetheless, this time, Booker failed to maintain his unreasonably superb efficiency. It is still good work by him to score 28 points by making only eight shots, but he missed 11 of his 19 field goals (FGs), more than he did in total (nine) in the previous two games.

Booker's drop in efficiency is foreseeable, but Durant's struggle of shooting 10-for-24 from the field is more concerning for the Suns. Tuesday's competition was nearly a foregone conclusion early in the first quarter, but both Durant and Booker still played more than 40 minutes. Durant's fatigue is obvious. Not only did a lot of his shots hit the front of the hoop, he was also too slow to follow his defensive target on many occasions.

Game 6 will happen at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday. It will be the final home game in the series for the Suns and they must win to remain hopeful of advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Their starting point guard Chris Paul has missed the past three games due to a left groin strain. If he comes back in Game 6, at least he can equip the team with better ball distribution.

76ers are one win from first East Finals trip in 22 years

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 115-103 in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, gaining the lead back 3-2 in the series.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey combined to score 63 points for the 76ers, becoming the ninth pair in NBA postseason history to get at least 30 points each in one game. Embiid continued to display dominance on the defensive end with four blocks. Maxey drained six triples at 50 percent behind the arc.

James Harden, who had 42 points to lead the 76ers to win in Game 4, only took eight shots on Tuesday night, but not because he underperformed. He went to the free throw line and knocked down eight shots there to maintain his scoring production. Meanwhile, he delivered 10 assists to get more teammates involved in the 76ers' offense. The team shot 50.6 percent from the field thanks to Harden's playmaking performance.

The Celtics are on the edge of elimination after losing Tuesday's game at home. Three of their five starters shot below 40 percent in FG rate. Al Horford missed all seven of his 3-pointers, watching Embiid stay comfortably behind to focus on protecting the paint. Coach Joe Mazzulla even sent Payton Pritchard, who only appeared in one game previously in the series, in a desperate effort to fix their offensive slump in the fourth quarter. He made two triples to contribute eight points, but it was too little and too late.

The Celtics' star-duo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, combined to get 60 points on Tuesday. Brown had nine points in both the first and fourth quarters, but only took three shots in the two periods in between. 29 of Tatum's 36 points were scored in the second and third quarters, but he missed all of his five FGs in the first period, extending his total missed shots in the first periods to 14 of this series. He is only one brick from matching the league's embarrassing record on this front.

Game 6 will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.