The lack of looks for Michael Porter Jr. in overtime of the Nuggets’ loss Sunday in Minnesota was a sign of a bigger problem, but Denver’s sharpshooter still took some ownership of the situation.

“There’s definitely ways to counter that. I gotta just move more off the ball. It’s not all on my teammates getting me involved,” Porter said at Tuesday’s shootaround. “It’s also on me trying to loosen myself up, get out in transition, just play with a high level of energy. When I play with a high level of energy, it doesn’t really matter how aggressive they are.”

Porter took all 12 of his shots in regulation and finished with 15 points after making a pair of 3s as Denver rallied to force overtime. The quiet overtime was a byproduct of something else, coach Michael Malone said, after reviewing the film from Denver’s lowest-scoring game of the series.

“The ball will find him if we play the right way. We’re one of the best teams in the league in terms of percentage of field goals that are assisted,” Malone said pregame.

“Yes, we can find ways to get Michael touches, but just getting back to how we play … everybody will benefit from that.”

With a pair of 7-footers in Minnesota’s starting 5, Porter said the Timberwolves’ guards are empowered to aggressively guard the perimeter. In overtime, Anthony Edwards played a step or two off of Porter, counting on his explosive athleticism to allow him to get back contest on the catch, while Taurean Prince offered no help and stayed on Porter’s hip throughout entire possessions with good reason.

“He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA,” former Nuggets and current Timberwolves reserve Austin Rivers said Tuesday.

The Nuggets relied on the two-man game between Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic through much of overtime, as they often do late in close games.

“His guy is not looking at the play, just guarding Mike,” Murray said. “It’s tough when they guard him like that. We can only use it to our advantage and find him in transition.”

Game 5 started with more bad offense from the Nuggets. Denver had 12 points 10 minutes into the game. Porter missed all six of his shots in the first half, including five 3-pointers, but grabbed five of his rebounds before halftime. He finished with eight points on 3 of 10 shooting and 10 rebounds, as the Nuggets ended the series in five games with a 112-109 win.

“Their guards have ultimate confidence in pressuring us on the perimeter just because they know they got Rudy (Gobert) down there, so they’re not bringing the low man,” Porter said. “They’re not helping off of me when the ball is dribbling away from me. They’re not pulling in just because they got two big guys down there to clog up the paint.”

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WHAT HAPPENED: The Nuggets advanced to a Western Conference semifinal with a win over the Timberwolves in Game 5 at Ball Arena. Despite trailing by as many as 15 in the first quarter, Denver rallied back with a solid second quarter and closed out the game and series with another impressive fourth quarter. It was far from the best Nikola Jokic game, but he delivered in the final moments when it counted with a handful of big baskets, free throws and rebounds. The Nuggets will certainly be happy to say goodbye to Anthony Edwards, who closed out a fantastic series with another 29 points to lead the way for the T-Wolves.

STAR OF THE NIGHT: There’s something about Jamal Murray in a potential close-out game. The last time Murray was in a series-clinching win, he dropped 40 points in Game 7 in the second round against the Clippers in the 2020 bubble. He scored 35 points on 12-for-23 shooting from the field and 5-for-9 from 3-point range, hitting basket after basket in the clutch.

OFF THE BENCH: Bruce Brown was basically the fifth starter as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dealt with foul trouble and. Brown’s minutes were impactful as he was a plus-7, contributing 14 points on 3-for-6 shooting.

UP NEXT: The Nuggets will play Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns in the next round. The Suns closed out the Clippers 4-1 Tuesday night. The series schedule will be released Wednesday.