Blazers Outplay Nuggets, Force Game 7 in Denver, 119-108

Denver Nuggets didn’t use their first match point against the Portland Trail Blazers. The team from Oregon defeated Nuggets, 119-108 and forced Game 7 at the Pepsi Center.

Led by a lethal trio Lillard-McCollum-Hood, the home team posted a much-needed win which extended this series and added more excitement to these playoffs.

For most of the guys from Portland, this will be their first Game 7 ever. Denver, on the other hand, reached here after eliminating the Spurs in seven matches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb5bPXJi9Bg&t=1s

The contest opened well for the guests from Colorado, who managed to win the first period. But in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers hurt them badly, grabbing the lead and taking over the control on the court.

Blazers outscored their rivals 32-20, and headed for a break with a 58-54 lead.

Things got intense in the third sequence when the Blazers finally cracked Denver’s resistance. Nuggets were trying to come back and regain the lead, but fantastic Damian Lillard didn’t allow that to happen.

Dame had 17 of his 32 points in that period, and successfully prevented the guests from, maybe even clinching the series.

Lillard had some problems in this series to find consistency in his shooting. It seems that he finally caught the rhythm last night.

“I just stayed with it,” said Dame, explaining that he didn’t want to back out from his usual style of play. “Sometimes as a shooter, you go through stretches when shoots are not falling. That is what this is about, staying on course, keeping your confidence high.”

At the end of the third, the Blazers were up seven points, 87-80, and they had one more factor going in their favor. Rodney Hood.

The sharpshooting forward contributed with 25 points, and delivered when needed the most. This was his career-high in playoffs, and definitely the best game of the entire series. The 26-year old was 8 of 12 from the field.

Mike Malone said that at the press conference.

“I thought Rodney Hood was the MVP of the game,” Malone said. “[He] had a huge impact throughout the game, all four quarters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JvYU4axoTo

Meanwhile, among the Nuggets, things weren’t going as planned. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray did their job, but the contribution off the bench was absent.

Unlike in the previous matches, Denver’s substitutes added just 13 points. Malone commented on the fact that his team allowed too many easy points, and that their defense was not at the usual level.

“We have to play better defense, it’s pretty black and white,” Malone said. “In our wins in the playoffs, our defense has carried us. ”

The Trail Blazers hit 15 three-pointers, and were 46.1% from the field overall. What is also noticeable is the fact that they controlled the glass on both ends, and didn’t allow for the Nuggets to have a rebounding dominance as they did in the previous few matches. Denver had just one board more than the hosts, 44-43.

Enes Kanter didn’t have proper offensive productivity, but he grabbed 14 rebounds, which was of enormous help in stopping Jokic. Zach Collins was the surprise of the night, because the young forward added 14 buckets.

McCollum was in his rhythm. CJ dropped 30, and was all over the court last night. He also had 6 boards.

On the other side of the court, Jokic was two assists short of a new triple-double. He had 29 points and 12 rebounds besides 8 dimes. The Serbian also had a good shooting percentage, 10 of 15 from the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJTIKtSAGxI

Murray was next to him with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Paul Millsap scored 17 buckets.

Game 7 is this Sunday at the Pepsi Center, and both teams are feeling confident going in.

“Now we go home and have the best home-court advantage in the NBA,” Malone reminded everyone that Nuggets had the best home record during the regular part of the season.

Lillard also had something to say about the upcoming clash.

“It’s your last opportunity to play, so facing elimination is what it is to me, and that’s going to be my approach.”