This Western Conference Semifinal matchup between the Denver Nuggets and OKC Thunder has proven to be quite the back-and-forth affair.
Following Sunday's matinee, the pendulum has officially swung back in the direction of Oklahoma City, as they've officially tied up this series at two games apiece just in time for Tuesday's Game 5 back at Paycom Center.
This upcoming contest should absolutely be viewed as a must-win for the Thunder, for not only would they reclaim home-court advantage, but they'd also take a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven showdown and, in turn, be one win away from advancing to their first Conference Finals since 2016.
Of course, before they can attain such an edge, they'll need to put forth tremendous two-way play for a full 48 minutes of action (and, in the case of another overtime excursion, possibly 53 minutes), and there are five players, in particular, who'll need to playing at their absolute best to make this happen.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
As is often the case with any team and its star cornerstone, the Thunder will only go as far as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander allows them. Such a sentiment certainly holds true heading into Tuesday's Game 5 face-off.
Despite establishing himself as the clear frontrunner to take home the 2025 MVP award with his elite play in the regular season, his production through eight games in this year's NBA Playoffs has fallen well short of his established norm, particularly in the scoring department.
In 36.6 minutes a night, the point guard is averaging 27.6 points, which, on the surface level, is unequivocally an impressive stat line.
However, he's doing so while shooting just 43.6 percent from the floor and 23.4 percent from deep (well below his regular season splits of 51.9 percent and 37.5 percent, respectively), and has been uncharacteristically unreliable in clutch time with averages of just 2.4 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field.
This latter factor has already proven to bite OKC in the butt in this series alone. For this team to pull ahead, SGA is going to need to play at his best.
Jalen Williams
After having quite an impressive first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Jalen Williams has been wildly inconsistent during this round-two bout against Denver.
It appears that with every game he manages to finish with 30-plus points on over 50 percent shooting, the next he'll wrap with as low as 10 points on sub-20.0 percent shooting from the floor as a whole.
Because of this, question marks still remain over whether Williams is capable of serving as a reliable second option next to Gilgeous-Alexander.
So far into this semifinal series, the tandem can't seem to get on the same page -- when one of them is on and firing on all cylinders, the other seems to be struggling mightily.
In Game 5, both will need to bring their A game, and Williams, in particular, appears to be under the most pressure to do so.
Alex Caruso
So far during this year's postseason run, Alex Caruso has been the most consistent contributor within Oklahoma City's rotation.
From his steady shooting stroke (41.2 percent from deep on 4.3 attempts per game) to his pesky efforts on the less glamorous side of the ball (averaging 1.9 steals per game and boasting an elite defensive rating of 95.7), the veteran has truly been invaluable to this Thunder team.
Now, coming into Game 5, they'll need him to continue to produce at this type of level if they wish to officially take control of this series.
One of the primary reasons why the ball club traded for Caruso last June in the first place was because of his familiarity with and proven track record of stepping up during times of adversity under the bright lights of the postseason, and, so far, he's showcased these attributes to a tee.
During this second-round series, no team has yet to win consecutive games, and, as a result, the Thunder are heading back to OKC tied up at 2-2.
Obviously they'll need their top-dogs of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren to show out in order to snap this undesirable streak but, almost just as important, they'll need the steady hand of Caruso to remain as stable as ever on Tuesday night.
Aaron Wiggins
One of the biggest advantages the Thunder have over the Nuggets in these semifinals is their elite depth, and Aaron Wiggins is perhaps the biggest bench X-factor OKC has at their disposal.
A true spark-plug off the pine, the fourth-year veteran finds himself following up a career-best regular season with a career-best postseason, as he's averaging 8.9 points and 2.9 rebounds on 50.0 percent shooting from the floor and 40.7 percent shooting from deep while clocking in with a plus-minus rating of +6.6.
In every game Oklahoma City has won against Denver during round two, Wiggins has finished with double-digit scoring feats on 50.0 percent shooting both from the field and from distance.
Game 4, in particular, he proved to be a vital component in their second-half comeback, as he brought life to their rather lackluster offensive punch practically on his own.
To gain that coveted 3-2 series lead, the Thunder will need their energizer bunny to bring his best efforts to a packed Paycom Center.
Jaylin Williams
As good of a job as Isaiah Hartenstein has done with taking Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic out of his rhythm, it's been Jaylin Williams who has served as a vital replacement option that allows their starting big to get much-needed rest without allowing OKC's on-court approach to miss a beat.
While he may only being logging 10.4 minutes per game this series, when serving as the primary defender against the three-time MVP, he's holding Jokic to just 27.8 percent shooting from the floor while forcing him into twice as many turnovers than assists.
On top of his individual defensive impact, his presence on the floor also alters the Nuggets' defensive approach against Oklahoma City, as his time spent at the five forces all defenders toward the perimeter due to the Thunder's five-out offensive potential and, in turn, unclogs the lane for driving sets.
Though undoubtedly used in small spurts, Jaylin Williams' contributions have been essential here in round two. Hopefully this type of play can continue on into Game 5.