Columnist Dylan Hernández writes that James Harden looked nothing like the player with a reputation for stinking up arenas at this stage of the season.

Small Game James Harden helped the Nuggets take a 3-2 series advantage entering Thursday night. It matches his history of postseason fades as his career average sinks from 23.3 to 20.8 points in Games 5-7 in a series.

On the brink of elimination, Coach Tyronn Lue says the Nuggets have been “blitzing” the star guard, who finished with 11 points and no 3-pointers in a Game 5 loss.