Jokic, Nuggets tie series as Denver outlasts Lillard’s 42 points

The Nuggets were downright surly after their blowout, Game 1 loss to the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, and they weren’t going to let that happen again in Monday’s Game 2.

“They picked up the aggressiveness and we did it, too,” Nikola Jokic said. “We met their aggressiveness, maybe even a little bit higher.”

That they did, bringing the same kind of physicality that the Blazers do, but with the free-flowing, unpredictable offense that Jokic provides. Held to only one assist in Game 1, Jokic upped that number to five in Game 2, while shooting an extraordinary 75 percent (15-for-20) from the field on his way to 38 points on the night.

“Some of the shots he was hitting were well-defended and he made it look easy,” head coach Michael Malone said. “That’s what great players do. It’s just comforting to know you have a player you can play through who will make the right play every time.”

The Nuggets needed it, because Portland star Damian Lillard exploded for 42 points on the night, 32 of them in the first half. After throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Lillard — who seemed to have opposing point guard Facundo Campazzo’s pesky defense figured out — their trade-deadline acquisition made his stand.

“I looked at the coaching staff and said, ‘I got him,’” said Aaron Gordon. “It could be a point guard or it could be a center — I’m there for it all.” Gordon, all 6-foot-8 of him, used his length and defensive prowess against Lillard, holding him to only 10 points in the second half and showing the kind of effort that it’s going to take to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Michael Porter Jr., who had a better shooting night than he did in the series opener on his way to 18 points, made the play of the game on Monday — “and maybe the season,” according to Malone — when he dove on the floor in the fourth quarter, wrestled away a loose ball and flipped it to Monte Morris from his side. Morris fed it to Shaq Harrison for a rim-rattling dunk that all but ended any hope of a Blazers’ comeback.

Porter Jr.’s defense is a work in progress, but as long as the effort is there, Malone can live with it, and Porter Jr. can probably live with some good-natured ribbing from his injured teammate-turned-cheerleader.

“Jamal (Murray) came to me on the sideline and tried to say Michael didn’t dive, but that he tripped,” Malone explained. “I’m going to say he dove because those are the kinds of plays we are going to need.”

As the series becomes a best-of-five affair, the Nuggets will need to steal a game in Portland, where they’ll play Games 3 and 4; something left unmentioned by Jokic, who explained, “If you’re going to talk about it, you’re not going to do it.”

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NEXT UP: Game 3: Nuggets at Trail Blazers (series tied 1-1) | Thursday, May 27 at 8:30 p.m. | TV: NBATV

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NOTES

• Only two games into the playoffs, presumptive MVP Nikola Jokic has put on a show, averaging 36 points, 12 rebounds and three assists per game, all while shooting 63.5 percent from the field despite being the obvious focal point of the Trail Blazers’ defense.

• With the Nuggets desperate for backcourt help, Will Barton’s return would be a godsend, and they might finally get it for either Thursday’s Game 3 or Saturday’s Game 4. Barton has been out since Apr. 23 with an injured hamstring.

• Shaq Harrison only played 10 minutes, but his defense on Damian Lillard during those minutes were crucial, especially in the waning moments of the second period. “Shaq played one minute (in the first half) and he used that one minute to show he can play,” Nikola Jokic said. Harrison had two points, two rebounds and two steals.

• Although Game 2’s 52 fouls seemed unnecessary, at least the whistle was even. In Game 1, the Trail Blazers had 19 free-throw attempts to the Nuggets’ eight, but on Monday, the Blazers had 28 attempts to the Nuggets’ 30. “It’s something we’ve worked on a lot in practice; getting to a spot as the low man to draw the foul,” Monte Morris explained.

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THE FINAL WORD

“It was chippy and that’s how it should be. Both teams are playing for something. I love it.” — Michael Malone.

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ROTATION (MINUTES)

Starters
G Facundo Campazzo (30)
G Austin Rivers (20)
F Aaron Gordon (28)
F Michael Porter Jr. (33)
C Nikola Jokic (31)

Bench
G Monte Morris (30)
F JaMychal Green (20)
F Paul Millsap (15)
G Markus Howard (15)
G Shaquille Harrison (10)
F Vlatko Cancar (3)
F Zeke Nnaji (3)
F Bol Bol (2)
C JaVale McGee (DNP-CD)

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INJURY WATCH

• Will Barton (hamstring) was injured on Apr. 23. Coach Michael Malone said Barton will be out “for the foreseeable future” on Apr. 24, but it’s possible that he could return by Game 4 of the Nuggets’ first-round playoff series.
• P.J. Dozier (right hip tightness) left the May 3 game and is out indefinitely. He will not return for the first round of the playoffs.
• 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

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