Jokic, Porter each score 30 as Nuggets make early lead stand up in win
May 12, 2021, 6:29 AM
The Nuggets clinched home-court advantage for the first round of the Western Conference playoffs on Tuesday, cementing a top-four seed behind the scoring of MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., both of whom had 30 points in the 117-112 win over Charlotte.
The Nuggets raced to a 33-13 lead early, but as is their wont this season, they allowed the Hornets to get within three points by halftime and found themselves in a one-point game with roughly two minutes left to play. In fact, following the 38-26 first quarter, the Nuggets were outscored 86-79 the rest of the way.
But Jokic had 17 free-throw attempts in the game to blunt the Hornets’ comeback. He made 16 of them for most of his 30 points on the night.
Now locked into at least the No. 4 slot in the Western Conference playoff chase, the Nuggets have the opportunity to rest many of their players prior to what’s expected to be a difficult playoff run without Jamal Murray; lost for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
However, the Nuggets are only a single game behind the Clippers for the No. 3 spot and according to Porter Jr., this isn’t the time to relax.
“Well, you want to stay in rhythm, too, and we have like a week off after the season to rest, so I don’t see a big need for it,” he said. “It’s up to (the coaches). If they want to avoid some crazy injury before the playoffs, then that’s cool. But I don’t feel a need, body-wise.”
Oh, to be 22 again. An overtaxed Nuggets squad could probably use the rest, but the truth is that Porter Jr. is right; this team needs every opportunity it can get to solidify its playoff rotation, given the litany of injuries that have plagued the team in the season’s latter half. The next two games — against the eliminated Timberwolves and Pistons — should provide the Nuggets with ample opportunities this week.
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NEXT UP: Nuggets (45-24) at Timberwolves (22-47) | Thursday, May 13 at 6:00 p.m.
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NOTES
• Monte Morris returned after missing 12 games and almost a month with a hamstring injury. The Nuggets desperately need his ball-handling skills, but after he scored five points on 2-for-5 shooting and two assists in 10 minutes on Tuesday, expect the Nuggets to ease Morris back into a regular workload — and given Facu Campazzo’s synergy with Nikola Jokic, it’s possible that Morris will continue coming off the bench for the rest of the season.
• While it didn’t cost them on Tuesday, the Nuggets were out-rebounded by the Hornets, 49-to-38. Nikola Jokic had 11 boards, but no other Nuggets player had more than six.
• Aaron Gordon managed 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, to go along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals. The 17-point night marked his highest total since he scored 24 against his old Orlando team over a month ago. The Nuggets will need more offensive performances like it going forward now that Gordon is accustomed to the way Denver plays offense.
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THE FINAL WORD
“That’s the exciting thing about this team – we have a lot of young stars and the future is bright.” — Head coach Michael Malone.
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ROTATION (MINUTES)
Starters
G Facundo Campazzo (37)
G Austin Rivers (31)
F Michael Porter Jr. (35)
F Aaron Gordon (29)
C Nikola Jokic (33)
Bench
F JaMychal Green (22)
G Shaquille Harrison (18)
F Paul Millsap (15)
G Monte Morris (10)
F Vlatko Cancar (7)
G Markus Howard (3)
F Bol Bol (DNP-CD)
C JaVale McGee (DNP-CD)
F Zeke Nnaji (DNP-CD)
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INJURY WATCH
• P.J. Dozier (right hip tightness) left the May 3 game and is out indefinitely.
• Zeke Nnaji (ankle) missed the May 3 game and is day-to-day.
• Will Barton (hamstring) was injured on Apr. 23. Coach Michael Malone said Barton will be out “for the foreseeable future” on Apr. 24. It seems unlikely that he will be available until the playoffs, at the earliest.
• Jamal Murray (torn left ACL) was injured in the final minute of the Apr. 12 game. His season is over, and realistically, Murray will be out until at least the 2022 All-Star break.
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Shawn Drotar is the host of “The Fan Late Night with Shawn Drotar;” weeknights from 10:00 p.m. to midnight — only on 104.3 The Fan. Follow him on Twitter at @sdrotar
