Denver Nuggets Rally from 16-Point Deficit to Notch 51st Win of the Season Against Portland Trail Blazers

If you’re a fan of watching high-scoring offenses duel at an elite level, then tonight’s matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers was your cup of tea, as the Nuggets used a late comeback to pull out a close 137-132 win in overtime to keep their hopes of snagging the 3rd seed in the West alive.

Nuggets Survive Against Trail Blazers Thanks to Nikola Jokic’s Masterpiece

There are great players, and then there’s Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who put together yet another masterful offensive performance that fans have come to expect from him. Jokic was sensational throughout the game as he helped engineer the Nuggets’ late comeback with a triple-double of 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists in the win.

This latest performance from the three-time MVP comes a few days after Jokic outdueled the current NBA MVP frontrunner in Victor Wembanayama, as he dropped 40 points and 13 rebounds in an upset win over the San Antonio Spurs. This game also marked the 6th time over the past 8 games that Jokic notched a triple-double.

While Jokic’s performance dominates the headlines surrounding this win, the Nuggets also received some key contributions to help seal the win. One of those key contributions came from star forward Aaron Gordon, who is seemingly rounding into form right when the Nuggets need him most. Gordon would finish the game with a solid stat line of 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win for Denver.

Trail Blazers Three-Point Barrage Nearly Leads Them to Victory

Before the Nuggets’ offense came alive in the 4th quarter to lead them back to victory, the Trail Blazers offense looked even more unstoppable for the majority of the game. Much of the reason for that was due to Portland’s lighting up the Nuggets’ defense from beyond the arc, as they knocked in 25 threes at a 48% clip in the game. Those 25 three-pointers would also set a new single-game franchise record.

The Trail Blazers would receive a plethora of offensive contributions, as over 6 players would finish with at least 14 points in the game. The two most noteworthy performances came from Toumani Camara and Donovan Clingan, who each impacted the game in different ways for Portland. Camara would knock down 8 three-pointers to finish with a team-high 30 points, while Clingan was a monster in the paint as he scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss.

Although this loss will sting for Portland after blowing a sizable lead down the stretch, this game will thankfully not affect their playoff chances heading into their final three games of the season. The Trail Blazers have been on quite the hot streak over the past two weeks, as they’ve won 8 of their last 11 games to put themselves in position to snag a higher seed in the play-in tournament.

Nuggets on the Verge of Clinching the 3rd Seed in the Western Conference Playoffs

Despite an injury-riddled season that has caused many of the Nuggets’ core players to miss significant time this year, Denver has ascended back up the Western Conference standings and is now in a perfect position to grab a top 3 playoff seed in the West. Following this game, the Nuggets need just two more wins and one more loss by the Los Angeles Lakers to clinch the 3rd seed.

The higher seed for the Nuggets would serve them well as it pertains to the Western Conference playoff bracket, as they would be placed in the same portion of the bracket as the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. That part of the playoff field provides a much clearer path to both the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals, and with how scorching hot the Nuggets are heading into the postseason, their championship hopes this year are the strongest they’ve ever been.