Murray and Porter lead the Nuggets to a 113-104 bounce-back win over the Thunder

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets knew bouncing back from their 43-point loss would mean hanging with the tubro-charged, top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder so that they could tap into their experience, home environment and closing prowess.

And that's exactly how they won Game 3 on Friday night, beating the Thunder 113-104 in overtime behind 27 points from Jamal Murray, 22 from Aaron Gordon and 21 from one-armed Michael Porter Jr., who had his best game since spraining his left shoulder in the first game of the playoffs.

Just like in Game 1, which they stole on Gordon's 3-pointer at the end, the Nuggets trailed most of the night and led by no more than two points in regulation before going on an 11-2 run in the extra period when the high-flying Thunder cashed in on just one of their nine possessions.

“I do believe late in games you can rely on what you've seen and felt and done,” interim coach David Adelson said of the Nuggets, who are two years removed from an NBA title.

The Nuggets took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series despite an off-night from Nikola Jokic, who had eight turnovers and missed 17 of 25 shots, including all 10 of his 3-pointers. He finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.

“I mean, 20, 16 and six, what an awful NBA night,” cracked Adelman.

“I'm sure he's frustrated,” Adelman added, “when you're so efficient, maybe arguably one of the most efficient players to ever play any sport. Yeah, I get it. I get why he's frustrated. But Game 4 is going to come and he's going to touch it a million times. Hope he shoots it all the time.”

Game 4 is Sunday at Ball Arena.

Jokic started the overtime flourish with a finger-roll layup and the Nuggets never trailed again.

“It's obviously lousy to lose," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "But you can take a lot away, and we want to be a team that’s improving through the series. ... I thought we did a lot of good things -- did a lot of good things on (Jokic). It was a really hard-fought game by both teams. It wasn’t an easy game for anybody.”

The other NBA MVP front-runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a tough night, missing 15 of 22 shots, going 1 for 6 from deep and finishing with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points and Chet Holmgren chipped in 18.

It was tied at 102 after regulation, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic missed potential winners in the closing seconds of regulation. SGA missed a 12-foot jumper with 3 seconds left, and Joker missed a 19-footer at the buzzer.

“Losses always sting, especially in the playoffs," Daigneault said. “But what I would say is we are in the process of becoming a great team, and we’ve checked a lot of boxes in that process. One thing that it takes to be a great team is you get taken to the limit in the playoffs, and you’ve got a rise to the challenges that you’re confronted with.”

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Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, back, passes the ball as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort defends in overtime of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, right, collects the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) defends in the first half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) goes up for a basket between Oklahoma City Thunder forwards Jaylin Williams (6) and Jalen Williams (8) in the first half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, drives past Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun, right, in the first half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., right, shoots past Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, left, in the first half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A former Polish justice minister who faces prosecution in his homeland over alleged abuse of power said Monday that he has been granted asylum in Hungary.

Zbigniew Ziobro was a key figure in the government led by the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party that ran Poland between 2015 and 2023. That administration established political control over key judicial institutions by stacking higher courts with friendly judges and punishing its critics with disciplinary action or assignments to far-away locations.

Current Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government came to power more than two years ago with ambitions to roll back the changes, but efforts to undo them have been blocked by two successive presidents aligned with the national right.

In October, prosecutors requested the lifting of Ziobro's parliamentary immunity to press charges against him. They allege among other things that Ziobro misused a fund for victims of violence, including for the purchase of Israeli Pegasus surveillance software.

Tusk’s party says Law and Justice used Pegasus to spy illegally on political opponents while in power. Ziobro says he acted lawfully.

Hungary, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has hosted several politicians close to Law and Justice while Polish authorities were seeking them.

In a lengthy post on X Monday, Ziobro wrote that he had “decided to accept the asylum granted to me by the government of Hungary due to the political persecution in Poland.”

“I have decided to remain abroad until genuine guarantees of the rule of law are restored in Poland,” he said. “I believe that instead of acquiescing to being silenced and subjected to a torrent of lies — which I would have no opportunity to refute — I can do more by fighting the mounting lawlessness in Poland.”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Budapest on Monday that Hungarian authorities have granted asylum to “several” individuals who would face political persecution in Poland, according to his ministry. He declined to specify their names.

In an English-language post on X, Tusk wrote that “the former Minister of Justice(!), Mr. Ziobro, who was the mastermind of the political corruption system, has asked the government of Victor Orbán for political asylum.”

“A logical choice,” he added.

FILE - The leader of the Polish junior coalition partners Zbigniew Ziobro, speaks to reporters alongside in Warsaw, Poland, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, file)