Nikola Jokic recorded 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds as the host Denver Nuggets stayed alive with a 125-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of a first-round Western Conference playoff series on Monday.

Jamal Murray scored 24 points, Spencer Jones posted a playoff career-high 20 points and Cameron Johnson finished with 18 for third-seeded Denver, which had lost three straight following a Game 1 home victory.

Game 6 in the best-of-seven series is Thursday night in Minneapolis.

Both teams had key players missing Monday night. Anthony Edwards (knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) were out for the sixth-seeded Timberwolves, and Ayo Dosunmu and Mike Conley started in their absences.

Dosunmu had 18 points after pouring in 43 on Saturday the Timberwolves’ Game 4 victory.

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 27 points and nine rebounds. Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 15 apiece. Jaden McDaniels, loudly booed whenever he possessed the ball, added 13 points, and Naz Reid contributed 12 points for the Timberwolves, who committed 25 turnovers.

Jones made his second career playoff start in place of Aaron Gordon (calf).

The Nuggets built a 10-point lead in the first quarter, but Minnesota cut it to 34-33 early in the second. Denver closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 60-51 lead into intermission, and then quickly expanded the advantage early in the third.

After the score was 63-54, Jones hit a trio of 3-pointers and a running dunk that made it 78-59 midway through the frame. The Timberwolves got within 82-67, but Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. converted three-point plays, Johnson hit from deep and Christian Braun dunked to make it 95-72.

It was 106-84 before Minnesota made a push. Randle hit a hook shot, Dosunmu had a steal and a layup and Hyland made a layup to cut the gap to 13. After Jokic sank two free throws, Randle converted a three-point play and Reid’s jumper got the Timberwolves within 10.

Braun drained a trey, Murray dunked and Jokic had a layup that resulted in a three-point play, making it an 18-point game with 3:33 to go, and Denver closed it out.

–Field Level Media

Shea Theodore scored with 52 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a 5-4 win over the Utah Mammoth in Game 4 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series on Monday in Salt Lake City.

The best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, as the Knights rebounded after losing the previous two games and squandering a 3-0 lead on Monday to fall behind 4-3. Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Las Vegas.

As double overtime approached, a broken play in front of the Utah net left goalie Karel Vejmelka without a stick. The puck was quickly moved in front to Theodore, and the defenseman buried the shot for the first playoff OT goal in his 11 NHL seasons.

Brett Howden had two goals and an assist for Vegas, and Jack Eichel had three assists. Noah Hanifin had two assists, and Cole Smith and Pavel Dorofeyev scored the other Vegas goals.

Carter Hart stopped 27 of 31 shots to earn his second win of the playoffs.

Mikhail Sergachev had three assists for the Mammoth, and Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist. Clayton Keller, Ian Cole and Michael Carcone contributed Utah’s other goals.

Vejmelka stopped 31 of 36 shots.

Dorfeyev and Howden bookended the first period with their first goals of the playoffs, beginning with Dorfeyev’s tally just 1:12 into the game. During a Mammoth power play at the 18:38 mark, a Mitch Marner takeaway set up Howden for the short-handed goal.

At 3:26 of the second period, Smith slickly redirected Hanifin’s point shot to give Vegas a 3-0 lead.

Just when the Golden Knights seemed to be in full command, the Mammoth responded with two goals in 29 seconds.

Schmaltz started the comeback at the 8:04 mark of the middle frame by converting his own rebound. Cole then added the quick follow-up with a long-range shot that deflected off the post and into the Knights’ net.

Carcone scored the equalizer on a one-timer from the right circle 1:45 into the third period, and Keller gave Utah its first lead on a deflected goal 5:10 into the third frame. It was then the Knights’ turn to equalize on a Howden tip-in at the 10:25 mark.

–Field Level Media

Kyle Tucker delivered a game-ending two-run single in the bottom of the ninth as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 victory over the visiting Miami Marlins on Monday to open a three-game series.

Shohei Ohtani added a run-scoring ground-rule double in the ninth and scored the game-winning run as the Dodgers won their third consecutive game and six of their last seven home contests.

Teoscar Hernandez had a two-run single and four Los Angeles relievers held Miami scoreless over the final four innings. Jake Eder (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the win.

Liam Hicks hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning for the Marlins while right-hander Pete Fairbanks (0-2) was charged with three runs in the ninth, while departing with an injury. Jakob Marsee had two hits for Miami.

The Dodgers opened the ninth inning with consecutive walks from Andy Pages and Dalton Rushing against Fairbanks. Miguel Rojas popped up a bunt attempt before Ohtani delivered an RBI ground-rule double to right to pull Los Angeles within 4-3.

After an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman loaded the bases, Fairbanks departed. Right-hander Tyler Phillips struck out Will Smith before Tucker hit an 0-1 splitter into center field for the game-winning runs.

Los Angeles got off to a fast start when Ohtani and Freeman opened the bottom of the first inning with consecutive singles. Hernandez came through with a two-out two-run single for the early lead.

The Marlins cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning when Dodgers shortstop Hyeseong Kim committed an error on a ground ball from Javier Sanoja that allowed Otto Lopez to score.

After Yamamoto walked both Marsee and Xavier Edwards in the fifth, Hicks hit a two-strike splitter for a three-run home run down the right-field line for a 4-2 lead.

The Dodgers threatened in the seventh by loading the bases with two outs against left-hander Andrew Nardi before Smith grounded out to second base to end the inning.

Ohtani had three hits for his second consecutive game after collecting just three total hits over his previous six contests.

–Field Level Media