Nuggets Notes: Depth, Porter, Tenzer, Gordon, Westbrook
Through two rounds of the NBA playoffs, Nuggets starters Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Christian Braun, and Aaron Gordon ranked one through four in the NBA in total minutes played. To some extent, that was a byproduct of Denver being the only team to play two seven-game series, but those four Nuggets all averaged between 37.3 and 41.3 minutes per game during the postseason, reflecting the team’s lack of reliable depth.
“We definitely need to figure out a way to get more depth,” Jokic said the Nuggets’ Game 7 loss on Sunday, per Tony Jones and Sam Amick of The Athletic. “It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, the longer benches, are the ones winning. You look at Indiana and OKC and Minnesota, and they have been great examples of that.”
Adding depth won’t be the easy for the Nuggets, who are hamstrung to some extent by maximum-salary contracts for Jokic, Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. Denver projects to operate in tax apron territory next season, lacks appealing trade chips, and is the only team that doesn’t have a pick in this year’s draft.
As Jones and Amick observe, it would be logical for the Nuggets to explore trading Porter, who is the most expendable of the team’s highest-paid players. Troy Renck of The Denver Post comes to the same conclusion, lauding Porter for gutting it out through a shoulder injury in the postseason but arguing that his inconsistency has become a liability for the club.
An April report indicated that Nuggets ownership has a particular fondness for Porter because he played his college ball at Missouri, the same school Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke attended. However, the prospect of trading Porter at this year’s deadline was “very much in play,” according to Jones and Amick, who note that the Nuggets gave real consideration to including him in a package for Zach LaVine earlier in the season.
We have more on the Nuggets:
- It remains unclear who will be making the roster decisions in Denver this offseason, since the team fired general manager Calvin Booth near the end of the regular season. League sources tell Jones and Amick of The Athletic that the Nuggets haven’t moved forward with a search for a new general manager yet and there’s an expectation that interim GM Ben Tenzer has a chance to earn the position on a permanent basis, as Marc Stein and Jake Fischer previously reported.
- After playing through a hamstring strain in Game 7, Gordon told reporters, including Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, that he “knew the risks” of taking the court and acknowledged that he “couldn’t sprint,” but said he was determined to give the team all he had. “There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to play,” he said. “The only thing that made me doubt playing was the MRI. The MRI told me something worse than what I was feeling.” Interim head coach David Adelman referred to Gordon’s effort as “one of the more incredible things I’ve ever seen,” tweets Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette.
- Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook was noncommittal when asked what he plans to do with his 2025/26 player option, as Benedetto relays in another tweet. Even if he wants to remain in Denver, it probably makes sense for Westbrook to turn down that $3.47MM option, since a new minimum deal would pay him $3.63MM.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks has published his Nuggets offseason preview in the form of an ESPN.com article as well as a YouTube video. There are some key extension candidates to watch in Denver this summer, according to Marks, who identifies Jokic (veteran extension) and Braun (rookie scale extension) as two players who will be eligible to sign new deals.
- In case you missed it, Adelman is reportedly considered a strong candidate to have his interim tag removed and become the Nuggets’ full-time head coach.
Adelman Considered Strong Candidate To Remain Nuggets’ Head Coach
In the aftermath of the Nuggets’ blowout loss to the Thunder in Game 7 on Sunday, one of their core players made it clear he wants David Adelman to return as head coach.
“I love DA,” forward Aaron Gordon said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I hope he’s here next year. I hope he’s our next coach. I hope he gets an entire training camp and a whole offseason to figure out his philosophy. DA’s great. He was excellent for us, and I hope that he’s here next year.”
Adelman was elevated from his assistant coaching job with three games remaining in the season after Michael Malone was fired, along with general manager Calvin Booth, by the team’s ownership. Malone and Booth had a strained relationship due to differences in opinion over the team’s personnel and Malone’s rotation decisions.
Adelman is considered a strong candidate to have the interim tag removed, MacMahon reports. However, team governor Josh Kroenke declined to directly address the head coaching job.
The team’s superstar, Nikola Jokic, indicated that Adelman did an admirable job under trying circumstances.
“You had three games to change something,” Jokic said. “I think he changed energy. I think the guys were woken up a little. Guys had more energy. He made us believe something, and we played good. We played a seven-game series against the best team in the NBA. We had opportunity, we had chances. I think he did a really good job.”
Guard Jamal Murray told the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando that “I think (Adelman) did a great job” noting “the different schemes that we came up with.”
Adelman, who was an assistant with Minnesota and Orlando prior to be hired by Denver in 2017, wouldn’t lobby for the job after team’s 125-93 loss.
“Decision-makers will make that decision,” he said. “Obviously blessed to have this opportunity to take the helm and lead this team. If I’m not back next year, I’ll obviously never forget this. It’s been an incredible experience. To have the buy-in from the guys was really special for me.”
Nuggets Notes: Murray, Strawther, Adelman
Jamal Murray wasn’t only dealing with the normal adversity of his Nuggets facing an elimination game as he headed into Game 6 at home, writes Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. Murray woke up on game day feeling sick enough that his status was listed as questionable heading into the pivotal face-off against the higher-seeded Thunder.
The severity of the illness required him to receive fluids via an IV drip, according to interim head coach David Adelman.
“There was a high likelihood he may not play,” Adelman said. “And you get the IV in you. You get the meds in you. … I kind of was watching the first six minutes like, ‘Is this real? Can he do it?’ And I thought he had good energy, good juice. There were a couple times he really didn’t want to go back to get the ball because he was so gassed, having a hard time breathing.”
Despite Adelman’s worries, Murray said he was always confident he was going to play, according to Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette. In the end, Denver’s point guard ended up compiling 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists as the team won 119-107 to force Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
“Everything was kind of bothering me, but kind of once the game starts and the team needs you and adrenaline kicks in, a couple of shots go in or whatever, you just kind of suck it up and get through it,” Murray said, matter-of-factly.
Adelman doesn’t take such things for granted, though. “… That’s Jamal Murray,” the Nuggets coach marveled. “It’s almost like the worse it is, the better off it’s gonna be.”
The star point guard will now have two full days to recover before the winner-takes-all matchup on Sunday.
Here’s more from the Nuggets:
- Thursday’s must-win victory proved a measure of vindication for recently fired general manager Calvin Booth, writes The Denver Post’s Sean Keeler. Keeler points to the pivotal contributions from two of Booth’s draft picks: Christian Braun, who was taken 21st in the 2022 draft, and Julian Strawther, the 29th pick in 2023. Booth’s insistence on playing the young prospects he drafted, as well as his struggles to retain veteran talent, have been cited as reasons he clashed with former head coach Michael Malone preceding their dismissals — in Game 6, the kids repaid Booth’s faith.
- Coming into the postseason, Strawther wasn’t sure he’d be part of the Nuggets’ playoff rotation, writes Durando. “The staff was transparent with me: ‘We may or may not need you to stay ready,'” he said, and stay ready he did. His heroics in Game 6, scoring 15 points over 10 minutes in the second half, were critical to the team extending the series. It was his first time scoring in double digits since February. Just as importantly to his coach, he didn’t get exploited on defense. “You want to keep an offensive player out there, but they have to be able to handle their own on the other end. And he did. We didn’t have to change schematically, defensively, because he sat down, moved his feet and guarded,” Adelman said.
- Nikola Jokic has demonstrated more on-court leadership in the wake of former coach Michael Malone‘s firing, but that doesn’t mean the MVP doesn’t trust the Nuggets’ new coach. “Even when I see something and just ask him a question, he thinks about it. I think we have great communication,” Jokic said when asked about his discussions with Adelman regarding strategy, reports Eurohoops’ Johnny Askounis. That collaboration has helped rejuvenate a Nuggets team that will enter Sunday night with a chance to go to the Western Conference Finals.
Nuggets Notes: Fourth Quarter, Strawther, Murray, Gordon, Jokic
The Nuggets defeated the Thunder in Game 6 in Denver on Thursday, blowing the game open and keeping it out of reach in the fourth quarter. This comes one game after the Nuggets gave away a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose on the road.
Interim coach David Adelman shouldered the blame for the fourth quarter woes in Game 5, per The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. That game saw Nikola Jokic play the entire second half. This time around, the Nuggets were able to give Jokic some rest — for nearly four minutes of game time — and he was able to come back into the game with a larger lead than when he left.
Part of the reason for Denver’s impressive fourth quarter was the stellar play of Julian Strawther, who scored seven of his 15 points in the final frame.
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- Jamal Murray was listed as questionable to play in Thursday’s game due to an illness, as we relayed earlier today. However, Murray pushed through and recorded 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 42 minutes of play. After the game, Adelman credited the medical staff for getting him to a point where he could play, per the Denver Gazette’s Vinny Benedetto (Twitter link). “That’s Jamal Murray,” Adelman said. “It’s almost like the worse it is, the better he’s going to be. What a tough-minded man.“
- Aaron Gordon appeared to injure his left hamstring late in the game. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), concern about Gordon’s hamstring is “high,” per Adelman, but the team is fortunate to have two days between games to maximize any potential recovery time.
- Jokic couldn’t care less about his shooting percentages or protecting his counting stats, as MacMahon writes. “Nobody should care about that at this time of the year,” Jokic said. The MVP candidate is putting up half-court heaves at a high rate this series after making a habit of doing so all season. “Most great shooters care about their stats. Bottom line,” Adelman said. “We’ve seen a lot of examples of guys taking shots just as the clock goes off or making that late pass to not take a bad shot. For Nikola to shoot the percentage he shoots and still shoot those shots — because, hey, there’s a chance it goes in and a chance it wins you the game — just shows how unselfish he is in all ways.“
Nikola Jokic Comments On Shooting Woes In OKC Series
While evening their playoff series with Denver at 2-2, the Thunder have accomplished something that seemed impossible — they’ve found a way to keep Nikola Jokic under control. The Nuggets center finished with 27 points in Sunday’s Game 4 loss, but he remained uncharacteristically inefficient, shooting 7-of-22 from the field and being limited to three assists.
It continued a frustrating trend for Jokic, who has struggled since scoring 42 points in the series opener. He’s shooting 21-of-63 from the field over the last three games and his assist-to-turnover ratio is an awful 19-to-23. It’s the first time in his career that he has shot worse than 40% while taking at least 15 shots in three consecutive games, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Jokic said in Sunday’s post-game media session. “They’re playing really good defense on me. They’re really into my body, physical. I think I missed two or three open looks night, so it’s a little bit of everything. They’re shrinking the floor on me. They’re having a guy behind the defender, so it’s a bit of everything. I need to do a better job, of course, but it’s part of the game.”
Jokic was noticeably off his game in the fourth quarter as Denver let an eight-point lead slip away. He made just 2-of-7 shots during the quarter and went 1-of-4 from the foul line, including two costly misses with the Nuggets trailing by four points and 3:15 remaining.
In contrast, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has battled Jokic as the MVP favorite throughout the season, was outstanding in the clutch on Sunday. The OKC guard hit three shots in the final 4:36 and finished with 25 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander wouldn’t reveal any secrets about the Thunder’s defensive strategy against Jokic, telling reporters he’s “not sure” how they’re shutting him down and adding, “but we have to keep doing it if we want to win.”
It has been suggested that fatigue might be playing a role in Jokic’s subpar numbers, and MacMahon points out that Sunday marked Denver’s seventh game in the past 13 days. There was a short turnaround as the teams tipped off roughly 36 hours after the end of Friday’s exhausting overtime matchup. Nuggets coach David Adelman said both teams had “tired legs” as they combined to shoot 33.5% from the floor, which MacMahon states is the worst mark for a playoff game in 21 years.
While the Thunder can rely on a deep bench to help prevent their players from wearing down, the Nuggets don’t have that luxury, especially at center. Jokic has logged 44 and 43 minutes in the last two games.
Credit should also go to center Isaiah Hartenstein, MacMahon adds, who was signed as a free agent last summer to help OKC match up better with opposing bigs. Jokic shot just 3-of-10 on Sunday with Hartenstein as his primary defender.
“We’re just really just focused on how to execute as a team,” Hartenstein said. “He’s a great player. We know he is going to make tough shots throughout the series, but we’ve just got to stay disciplined. I think that’s the biggest key. We’ve been doing a great job staying disciplined, great job playing team defense. Again, he’s a great player, so he is going to make shots eventually.”
Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Jokic, Porter, Defense
Playoff heroics are becoming routine for Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, writes Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. After hitting a three-pointer in the final seconds to beat Oklahoma City in Game 1 of their playoff series, Gordon delivered another late three Friday night that sent Game 3 into overtime. Denver eventually pulled away to claim a 113-104 win and a 2-1 series lead over the top-seeded Thunder.
“What (Gordon has) done this postseason has been unbelievable for us,” Peyton Watson said. “He’s won us games, and we need everything that we can get, so I’m just super happy for AG overall, what he’s been through, and the person that he is, and the teammate that he is. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”
Keeler points out that the acquisition of Gordon from Orlando at the 2021 trade deadline has turned out to be one of the best deals in franchise history. Since he arrived, Gordon has shown a willingness to do whatever the team needs, Keeler adds, whether it’s rebounding, defense or outside shooting. At 43.6%, this was Gordon’s best three-point shooting season by far, and he credits the improvement to hours of practice at his home gym.
“Yeah, it takes a lot of work. But the reward is itself,” he said. “I don’t really care about other people praising (it) or not. It doesn’t matter to me.”
There’s more from Denver:
- The Nuggets won despite a rare off night from Nikola Jokic, who shot 6-of-23 from the field and missed all 10 of his three-point attempts, notes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Jokic called himself “the worst player on the court today” and said he needs to find a way to counteract OKC’s defense. “I mean, I don’t know what they are doing,” he told reporters. “Because if I knew, probably I’m not gonna have those kinds of mistakes. So I need to figure out what they’re doing.”
- Michael Porter Jr., who made three combined shots in the two games at Oklahoma City, looked more comfortable in Game 3, per Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Porter is playing with a Grade 2 shoulder sprain that would normally take a month to recover from. He has been taking lidocaine injections to help relieve the pain, and Friday he contributed 21 points and eight rebounds while making 5-of-6 shots from beyond the arc. “A couple of days in between is helping at this point. I felt a little bit better overall today. I was trying to space out and not do the injection every game, but right now it’s needed,” Porter said. “I still don’t feel like I can play physically or bum guys the way I would like to. But I am able to do what I can.”
- The Nuggets had the league’s 22nd-ranked defense during the regular season, but they’ve increased their intensity in the playoffs, observes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Players said they were embarrassed by the Game 2 blowout, and they made a point of being more physical on Friday.
Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Jokic, Starters, Physicality, Westbrook
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic fouled out in the third quarter for the first time in his career during Wednesday’s Game 2 in Oklahoma City. Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon is frustrated by the way Jokic is being officiated, writes Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
“They are calling the second foul almost all of the time. They are fouling Joker first,” Gordon said. “You know Jok is reactionary and they do get the second guy a lot of the times. But they are fouling him throughout the game — point blank. Period. And it’s a thing you can’t call every foul because you would be calling a foul every single play. But they are fouling him. They are a handsy team.”
As Renck notes, no one on the Nuggets blamed the officials for Wednesday’s lopsided defeat. But Jokic has now accumulated 11 fouls in two games against a physical Thunder team, and that will be an important trend to monitor for the remainder of the second-round series.
“You can (help him), but if they are going to let them push him and shove him, like two hands on him, root him out, (use) the knee, elbows, all types of stuff that they are doing to him that is not necessarily legal, then, there’s not much you can do,” Gordon said. “Jok has gotta play through it. If they are not going to call it, they are not calling it. We can help hit them. But they are fouling the guy.”
Here’s more on the Nuggets:
- Denver was thoroughly dismantled on Wednesday and trailed by 31 points at halftime. After the game, interim head coach David Adelman explained why he played the starters in the third quarter with the contest seemingly out of reach. “I felt like we needed to find a rhythm, a physicality,” Adelman said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “I think that (Oklahoma City) thought that we were trying to junk up the game, which we weren’t. We were just trying to play much harder than we did in the first half. Obviously, when (Jokic) fouled out, (we) got them all out with about a minute left (in the third quarter). They got to sit the whole (fourth) quarter. They get to sit tomorrow. All day Friday. And get ready for Friday night. So no, I was not just gonna sit the guys at halftime. That’s not what we’re doing here.”
- In order for the Nuggets to rebound from Wednesday’s humiliating defeat and take a 2-1 lead in Friday’s Game 3, they will have to match the Thunder’s physicality, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “We got punked,” Adelman said. “And we allowed ourselves to get punked. We didn’t play well enough at any point, and we have to realize that this is a team that can separate from other teams. There’s a reason this team has a historic plus/minus. We need a better start than that. We need to be better than that. We can say the series is tied 1-1, but we aren’t going to flush that. That’s not what this game was. We’ll have to look at what they did and how we responded, and I would expect a much better effort than that on Friday night.” Renck of The Denver Post also believes the Nuggets need to play more forcefully against the top-seeded Thunder.
- Russell Westbrook‘s game is polarizing, but the Nuggets “would be a mess” without him in these playoffs, Renck contends. Westbrook, who assisted Gordon’s game-winning three in the series opener, is averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal on .451/.375/.719 shooting through eight postseason games (25.6 minutes per contest).
Northwest Notes: Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Gobert, Bradds
The Nuggets–Thunder second-round series features a clash between the top two contenders for the Most Valuable Player award, Denver big man Nikola Jokic and Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But it would be a stretch to call it a showdown, according to Jokic, since they play different positions.
“He’s a very different player,” Jokic said, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “He’s playing on so many levels, speed, as a scorer. Everything looks so easy for him. Even when you are like, ‘Oh, that’s a good defense.’ It feels so easy for him and he’s amazing with a change of speed, change of rhythm, ball-handling. He can post up guys, he can go by guys, his shooting at the mid-range is unguardable basically. He’s a very special player.”
OKC coach Mark Daigneault feels neither player will care to make an individual point in the series.
“I know Shai a lot better than I know Jokic,” Daigneault said. “But I think I know enough to know that neither one of them are going to get distracted by that. Both of them are going to be fully invested in the series. It’s a supplement to the series. But it’s really, it’s not part of the series at all.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- It’s important for SGA to be well-liked by his teammates and peers beyond just being a superstar player, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman writes. “He wants to be one of the greats,” Daigneault said. “He also wants to be one of the guys.”
- Minnesota center Rudy Gobert posted 27 points and 24 rebounds against the Lakers in the deciding Game 5 of the series. The Timberwolves big man became the first player with at least 25 points and 20 boards in a series-clinching win on the road since Shaquille O’Neal achieved that for the Heat against the Bulls in 2006, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic relays. “That’s the Rudy that can win you championships,” guard Mike Conley said. “When you have that type of mentality to go get every rebound, go get every block, defend every guy at the rim, we needed that. He came at the biggest moment of our season.”
- Will Hardy received a contract extension on Monday but the Jazz will need to replace at least one of his assistants. Assistant coach Evan Bradds has left the organization to join Duke’s staff, according to the school’s basketball social media account (Twitter link).
Nuggets Notes: Coaching & GM Change, Westbrook, Braun, Adelman
The Nuggets were headed in the wrong direction when they made the controversial decision to fire head coach Michael Malone and general manager Calvin Booth with three games remaining in the regular season, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. They had just lost four in a row and were in danger of dropping into the play-in tournament. Now they’re headed to the second round of the playoffs after destroying the Clippers in Saturday’s Game 7, and Nikola Jokic believes the changes paved the way for playoff success.
“I think the owner … wanted to change something, to change the energy, and probably he did,” Jokic said. “He got the result he was looking for.”
Malone and Booth had a contentious relationship for years and were locked in an ongoing battle of basketball philosophies. Malone preferred to rely on experienced players who had earned his trust, while Booth wanted him to give more minutes to the young talent he drafted and signed. Numerous reports stated that their bickering brought a negative energy to the organization, and they were both likely to be let go after the season ended.
“If we don’t make the changes, there’s no way we’re even in a Game 7,” one Nuggets executive told Shelburne.
There’s more from Denver:
- Saturday’s victory was satisfying for former Clipper Russell Westbrook, who contributed 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in 27 minutes, Shelburne adds. As they did throughout the series, L.A.’s defenders backed far off Westbrook and dared him to shoot from the outside. He promised after Game 1 to discuss the strategy when the Nuggets “took care of business,” and Saturday night he did. “I think they believed that that was their best bet of stopping me or taking me out of this series,” Westbrook said. “But one thing that nobody knows is that I work my ass off. So regardless of what anybody does, I’m always prepared and I’ll be prepared for anything because I prepare myself for everything. And like I said, after Game 1, if they continue doing it, I’m going to make ’em pay. I don’t know what I shot for the series.” When informed that he made 42% of his three-pointers, he smiled and said, “Damn, that’s solid. I guess it didn’t work out so well for them.”
- Christian Braun got a chance to erase the bad memories of last year’s Game 7 loss to Minnesota, notes Luca Evans of The Denver Post. Braun was limited to five points in 19:46 as the Nuggets were eliminated in 2024, but he was crucial to this year’s victory. He played tight defense on James Harden throughout the series, and kept the Nuggets from falling too far behind by scoring nine of their 21 first-quarter points on Saturday. “I wanted to be more,” Braun said, referencing the loss to the Wolves. “And everybody wants to play more. But I just thought that in that game, I felt like I was playing well and wanted to play more minutes. And everybody wants that, everybody in the league wants that, and I got that. That’s exactly what I wanted, and those guys trusted me — they have all year — but they trusted me in that moment. So, this is the exact moment I was looking for.”
- The Nuggets should remove head coach David Adelman’s interim tag as soon as their playoff run ends, contends Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Renck states that ownership is leaning toward giving Adelman the job on a permanent basis, and he proved he’s worthy with his performance in the first-round series.
Nuggets Notes: Adelman, Jokic, Porter, Westbrook, Murray
Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman wasn’t happy with the officiating in Thursday’s Game 6 loss to the Clippers, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Adelman told reporters that the referees allowed L.A. to be too physical in defending star center Nikola Jokic, who played nearly 42 minutes but attempted just two free throws.
“Nikola gets fouled a lot,” Adelman said. “I’m not sure what was happening tonight, but for him to shoot two free throws with the amount of contact that was going on out there was absolutely crazy.”
The Clippers packed the lane against Denver in the 111-105 victory, which set up today’s series-deciding Game 7. Jokic shot just 2-of-9 in the second half, and Durando notes that he repeatedly passed up open three-pointers to drive into a crowd of defenders, even after the officials made it clear that he wouldn’t be rewarded with a foul call.
Adelman used his post-game media session to start working the refs for Game 7.
“(The Clippers) put smalls on him. Those smalls were allowed to do whatever they want,” he said. “So I’m really excited for Saturday, that we’re gonna be able to do the same thing with their best players. Because if that’s the physicality we’re allowed to play with, we’ll react to it, and we will go there in Game 7.”
There’s more from Denver:
- Jokic believes credit for his poor shooting night should go to Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who blocked three shots in Game 6, Durando adds. “He was making me kind of question my shots,” Jokic said. “He was always there. He was really good defensively. … He was moving his feet really good.”
- It’s better for the Nuggets if Adelman feels confident closing today’s game with Michael Porter Jr. instead of Russell Westbrook, Durando states in a separate story. Porter has been up and down throughout the series, with Durando pointing out that he was plus-34 in Game 5 and minus-24 in Game 6. Durando adds that Westbrook has been outstanding overall, but he has a history of making crucial mistakes, including a missed layup late in Thursday’s game.
- Denver didn’t react well when Clippers coach Tyronn Lue replaced Kris Dunn with Nicolas Batum for the start of the second half Thursday, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jamal Murray admits that having an extra shooter on the court disrupted the Nuggets’ defense. “I thought we were unorganized,” he said. “I think that’s the best way to put it. It was frustrating. Some of the turnovers were bad and they hurt us tonight. But I thought they played with a lot more desperation than we did. They came out and played with their backs against the wall. I thought the game came down to a lot of those 50-50 possessions. On Saturday, those are the possessions that we are going to have to take away.”