The Nuggets knew bouncing back from their 43-point loss would mean hanging with the turbo-charged, top-seeded 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.

Fellow MVP front-runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a tough night, missing 15 of 22 shots and finishing with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points.

Mitchell lifts Cavs back in series: Donovan Mitchell refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from the Cavaliers.

So with home fans on their feet, expecting their Pacers to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell took the game into his own hands. He hit a 13-foot fadeaway, then a pull-up 3-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another 3 and the Cavaliers went on to a 126-104 victory Friday night in Indianapolis.

“I couldn’t let it happen again, and it wasn’t just me,” Mitchell said after finishing with 43 points and nine rebounds to cut their semifinal series deficit to 2-1. “I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor.”

But Cleveland was desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and used everything in its arsenal to hold on Friday.

NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De’Andre Hunter returned from injuries after missing Game 2. All-Star guard Darius Garland also returned from a toe injury that kept him out of four straight games.

The Cavs also reverted more to regular-season form by making 14 3-pointers, holding a 56-37 rebounding edge, even using zone defense to slow down the high-flying Pacers.