Here are the scores, updates, and results of the NBA 2020-2021 regular season match between the Portland Trail Blazers (POR) vs the Denver Nuggets (DEN) on May 17, 2021 (All times are in Philippine Standard Time) at the Moda Center.
The Portland Trail Blazers tops the Denver Nuggets with a final score of 116-132 while also securing their spot in the western conference.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum went all out against the Nuggets to end their last game of the season. Lillard recorded 22 points with 10 assists on 7-13 shooting from the floor. Not only that but “Dame Dolla” also dropped 5 three-point shots. His partner in crime, McCollum, had 24 points and 5 assists. Just like Lillard, McCollum also sank 5 three-pointers. Furthermore, both of the brilliant guards played for 31 minutes for the squad.
Jusuf Nurkic, the former Nugget, had a superb game, scoring 20 points and collected 13 rebounds, finishing his game with a double-double. Moreover, the big man of the Trail Blazers also finished with maximum efficiency as he made 8 out of his 10 looks.
Powell added 19 points while Kanter, who came off from the bench, had 14 points and 15 rebounds after playing for 22 minutes.
The Trail Blazers avoids the play-in tournament as they will go straight to the playoffs.
“I thought what we accomplished now is pretty gratifying because it was not an easy season. I think there was a lot of negativity out there and we persevered though that,” Terry Stotts, the head coach of the Trail Blazers said. “I’m glad we finished where we did. I think we overachieved by anybody’s standards.”
On the other end, the Nuggets’ starters had limited minutes as they are getting ready for the playoffs.
“They had it in their minds it was a must win for them and that’s how they played. They were playing aggressive, they were making the right pass, they were rebounding and we didn’t do nothing,” Jokic said. “So we were just there and we made their job easier.”
Nikola Jokic chipped in 21 points after just playing for 17 minutes.
“They’re a very good team. We know them extremely well and they know us,” Malone shared his thoughts on the Trail Blazers. “We’ll need our starting five to play with a lot more urgency and care and compete than they did tonight.”
Markus Howard had 23 points while coming off from the bench.
The Trail Blazers move up to 42-30 while the Nuggets drop to 47-25.
Trail Blazers vs Nuggets
22-43; 33-29; 29-35; 32-25
The scores:
Trail Blazers (132) – McCollum 24, Lillard 22, Nurkic 20, Powell 19, Kanter 14
Nuggets (116) – Howard 23, Jokic 21, Millsap 12, Green 11, Porter Jr. 9