DENVER (AP) — Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has brought his bandmates back together. They’re making up for lost time, too.
Paired again in the playoffs With Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic and his crew made quick work of shorthanded Minnesota State, shutting out the Timberwolves with a 112-109 win. In Game 5 of the first-round series Tuesday night. Denver, the top seed in the West, will take on the Phoenix Suns, led by a terrific trio – Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant – starting Saturday in Ball Arena.
The trio of Murray, Porter and Jokic hasn’t been delivered at the same time in the playoffs since the NBA bubble in 2020. It was a magical time, too, in Florida, when the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to LeBron James and the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.
It feels like a long time ago, with Murray missing the last two playoffs as he recovered from a torn left ACL and Porter sitting out last season with a sagging back.
But they knew that once they were all reunited, they could be a formidable force.
They brighten up their Tuesday by doing a little bit of everything. There was Murray, who hit the clinch on his way to 35 points. and Jokic, back-to-back NBA MVP who did his usual with 28 points, 17 boards and 12 assists. Porter, too, who despite struggling off the court found a way to contribute on defense—something he wasn’t always known for—and by grabbing 10 rebounds. He also scored eight crucial points in the fourth quarter.
“It was good to be back in the playoffs and play at a high level with Jamal,” said Porter, who used two big 3-pointers to help Denver hold off a stout Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves. “It feels good.”
A year earlier, guard/forward Bruce Brown was taken out of the postseason as a member—along with Durant—of the Brooklyn Nets. Brown did his homework when looking for a new team last summer and loved what he saw at Mile High City. He and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gave the Nuggets the best depth in this playoff.
“I just knew they had a bunch of great guys,” said Brown, who was wearing a cowboy hat as he walked out of the locker room after a game in which the Nuggets went 32-of-36 from the free throw line. “I am very impressed (with this team).”
Then, the Suns beat the Nuggets in the second round of the 2021 playoffs. But that was without Murray. This is a revamped nuggets template.
Phoenix has a fresh look, too, with Durant coming from the Nets as part of a massive deal on NBA Trade Deadline Day.
This could be the start of something good. Even though Denver is the top seed — and Phoenix is fourth — the Nuggets feel left out.
“Nobody picks us to win,” Nuggets forward Jeff Green said. “We know we have what it takes to win. We just have to keep on showing.”
First, some time to rest and celebrate.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone wants his players to appreciate what they’ve just accomplished. He too, notching his 25th playoff win to break a tie with Doug Moe and become the Nuggets’ winningest coach in the NBA Playoffs.
“It’s hard to win a series in the playoffs,” Malone said. “So I’m really proud of our guys.”
The Suns and Nuggets split the season series 2-2. But it was hard to get any kind of read into the series as Jokic sat out the last two, so he didn’t play Suns with Durant.
Both teams put on a great show on Christmas Eve, with Aaron Gordon turned around In one of the most wonderful submerged places of the season. It set the stage for a 128-125 win in overtime as Jokic had 41 points, 15 boards and 15 assists.
“Maybe they are the favourites,” Jokic said. “It will be a great challenge for us.”
These are the kinds of moments Porter thought of when he was sidelined with a bad back last year.
“I wasn’t trying to look too far forward, but to come back here and be competitive in a playoff series, man, it feels great,” Porter said. “Especially considering everything I’ve been through.”
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