DENVER — Game 2 is a thing of the past.
After a blowout of historic proportions by the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night, the Denver Nuggets regained their composure and their form on Friday for a 113-104 overtime thriller in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Advertisement
Denver rallied from a 56-51 halftime deficit and had a shot a winning in regulation with a Nikola Jokić turnaround jumper that clanged off the rim as time expired in the fourth quarter.
But Jokić responded with a layup to open overtime that sparked a 7-0 Nuggets run and sent Ball Arena into a frenzy. Michael Porter Jr. followed Jokić’s bucket up with a 3, and Jamal Murray gave the Nuggets a 109-102 lead on a fast-break layup off a Thunder turnover.
A Thunder team that looked like world beaters in Game 2 was done. Its MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled down the stretch as the Nuggets seized control. And the NBA’s best team from the regular season didn’t find an answer in overtime.
The Nuggets maintain the home-court advantage that they stole from the Thunder with a come-from-behind stunner in Game 1.
Advertisement
The win for the Nuggets arrives of the heels of Wednesday’s 149-106 loss to Oklahoma City that saw the Thunder set a playoff record with 8 first-half points. But margins of victory don’t matter in the grand scheme.
Denver’s one-point win in Game 1 and nine-point win in Game 3 are enough to overcome Oklahoma City’s 43-point thrashing for control of the series over the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
“It’s just a loss,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said before Friday’s game of Game 2. “I know that they broke records or whatever. But it’s 1-1. I didn’t feel embarrassment. I felt like they played great, and we played bad. And it’s sports, and sometimes that happens.”
Michael Porter Jr. shows up
Hampered by a lingering shoulder injury while struggling on the road, Michael Porter Jr. managed 10 total points in Games 1 and 2 in Oklahoma City. Back home in Denver he returned as an impact player while tallying 21 points and eight rebounds and shooting 5-of-6 from 3.
Advertisement
Porter’s playoffs so far have…
..
