Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the youthful Oklahoma Thunder are on the verge of making the franchise’s first appearance in the Western Conference finals since 2016.

After dropping back-to-back games against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Denver Nuggets are on the brink of elimination with a 3-2 series deficit.

Sometimes, NBA playoff series bring the best out of role players. It's all matchup-dependent. Against the Nuggets, Williams has been a perfect backup center who ensures the Thunder will have at least one center on the floor at all times while their three-headed monster alternates.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets will meet for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals tonight.

The Denver Nuggets were never likely to win their second-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. That was true before it started, and it's certainly true now. Following OKC's 112-105 win on Tuesday,

The Oklahoma City Thunder survived another thriller in a 112-105 Game 5 win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. They now hold a 3-2 lead in their Round 2 NBA playoffs series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with an efficient 31 points. Lu Dort scored an important 12 points. Jalen Williams had 18 points and nine rebounds.

SportsLine's model simulated Denver vs. Oklahoma City 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Tuesday's Game 5 Western Conference semifinal matchup