If Jamal Murray continues to play like that, the Nuggets might just pull this thing off.

Denver’s starting point guard led the fourth-seeded Nuggets to a 113-104 overtime victory over the top-seeded Thunder on Friday at Ball Arena that protected home-court advantage in Game 3.

Murray led the Nuggets with 27 points on 19 shots. He finished around the rim, got to his trademark mid-range jumper and survived the defensive possessions when Oklahoma City hunted him on switches with the NBA’s leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Jamal Murray defensively in the fourth quarter and overtime … it’s tough to play 47 minutes and tell a guy in the first quarter that you can’t believe he’s not in a stance and cutting people off when he’s got to have the ball, score 27 points, have eight assists, run the two-man game late,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said.

“When they called his guy up, I thought he really sat down and guarded when it mattered. That’s who Jamal is, man. He’s so mentally tough.”

The 28-year-old also scored 21 points in Denver’s Game 1 victory before being held to 14 points in Denver’s blowout loss in Game 2 before the second options took center stage in Game 3.

Nikola Jokic finished with 20 points on 25 shots and finished with an uncharacteristic eight turnovers against six assists. Christian Braun took on the challenge of defending Gilgeous-Alexander, who needed 22 shots to score 18 points. Jalen Williams, the Thunder’s second-leading scorer on the season, finished with a game-high 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting.

None of Murray’s plays was as big as his steal on Williams and transition layup that put Denver ahead by seven with three minutes left in overtime.

“We got a lot of guys who are very poised players top to bottom,” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said.

“We just got a mentally pretty strong team top to bottom, and we’ve got the best closers in the game, I feel like, between Jamal and Nikola.”

The Nuggets had a chance to win it in regulation after getting a stop on Gilgeous-Alexander and calling timeout with 2.7 seconds left. Jokic slipped the screen and got the final shot of the fourth, but his 3-pointer from the corner was just long, leading to overtime. Jokic finished 0 of 10 from 3-point range.

Murray’s been hounded by Luguentz Dort for most of the series but had more success shaking his fellow Canadian on Friday than he did in the first two games. Dort fouled out in overtime, and the Thunder lost his 34 minutes of playing time by seven points. Denver did a better job of screening the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Dort.

“It causes a chain reaction. When you set one screen, it forces the defender to communicate to the other defender what’s going on, and you can use those advantages or whatever to set up other stuff,” Murray said.

“I think it’s a huge part of the game, especially in a physical game like this.

Murray and Porter’s shotmaking was vital to keeping Denver in the game. The Thunder outscored the Nuggets in the paint, 34-12, in the first half and finished with an 56-32 advantage inside. The Nuggets outscored the Thunder by 21 from 3-point range, going 16 for 40 to Oklahoma City’s 9 for 35. Aaron Gordon hit a clutch 3 to tie it late in regulation and hit a fadeaway that sealed Denver’s second win of the series. Gordon added 22 points, while Porter, who made his first four 3s, finished with 21 points.

All those contributions were an important part of Denver’s win, but they don’t have a chance to go up 3-1 on Sunday if not for Murray’s consistency from start to finish.

“He’s another one of those cogs in that room that have been around and seen it. They know, when it’s winning time, what they’ve got to give – give their body and their mind – to find a way to win,” Adelman said.

“So proud of Jamal.”

Now, the Nuggets are halfway to a return to the conference finals.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Murray said. “It was a good win, but there’s a quick turnaround. We have more work to do.”

NUGGETS 113, THUNDER 104 (OT)

What happened: Oklahoma City led by six after the first quarter and maintained a 56-51 lead at halftime. Denver closed within three to start the fourth, tied the game late in regulation and started overtime on a 7-0 run.

What went right: The Nuggets held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to five points on eight shots in the first two quarters. The Thunder’s leading scorer did grab nine rebounds and dished out four assists before halftime.

What went wrong: Nikola Jokic made just 2 of his 9 shots in the first half. He grabbed nine rebounds but committed five turnovers against one assist before halftime.

Highlight of the night: Christian Braun has shown off his vertical against opposing centers multiple times, but he showed off the hangtime Friday with a double-pump layup over Chet Holmgren. In the second half, Jamal Murray made a blind 180-degree layup over Holmgren to one-up Braun.

Up next: Game 4 tips at 1:30 Sunday at Ball Arena.