Giannis and the Bucks blitzed the Celtics, the Warriors fought through Houston once again and Kawhi gave us one of the most thrilling buzzer beaters in playoff history. Relive a wild conference semis.
Despite finishing with 29 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic shouldered the blame for his team's Game 7 loss to the Trail Blazers, citing his missed shots down the stretch.
CJ McCollum's performance in Game 7 proves that the Blazers are more than just a one-man show.
Michael Malone said Nikola Jokic told the team in the locker room after Game 7 that the loss was his fault and that he could've done more. Jokic missed a few shots short and the first of two late free throws but he finished a sensational first postseason with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Jokic and Gary Harris (15 points) were the two Nuggets who played well offensively in Game 7.
CJ McCollum scored 37 points and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 100-96 on Sunday to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
What does Denver need to do to contend in the West?
This is where the Nuggets' lack of a closer is hurting them in crunch time of Game 7. Denver has missed several shots short when they desperately need a basket and some of the young Nuggets look a little uncertain and nowhere near as aggressive as they were to start this game.
Zach Collins' foul trouble may be the story of this fourth quarter. The Blazers need him on the floor every second he can stay there.
An overdue adjustment from Terry Stotts to start the second half, starting Zach Collins and Rodney Hood in place of Moe Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu. The Blazers have been caught in matchup problems against Denver's starting five throughout the series.
Nikola Jokic has 13 points and five rebounds at the half but zero assists. Take Jokic's 2-for-3 3-point shooting away and the rest of the Nuggets are 0-for-7 from behind the arc.
So far, there hasn't been much of a Dame 7: Just seven points on 1-9 shooting at halftime, and the Blazers are really fortunate to not be down more than nine. As a team they're shooting 30.4 percent, which is real bad, but everyone not named CJ is just 7-34 (20.5 percent) from the floor.
Nikola Jokic has hit more 3-pointers (2) than both teams combined in the first half. Portland and Denver have shot a total of 3-for-24 from behind the arc.
Nikola Jokic started Game 7 off hot, hitting two 3-pointers and having eight points and four rebounds in the first quarter. The Nuggets shot 50% and held Portland to 0-for-9 shooting from behind the arc.
Michael Malone said he will try to get Nikola Jokic a minute of rest every quarter but he is prepared to play Jokic as much as needed. Malone cracked that while people think Jokic looks like he can't handle the heavy minutes, he's proven over and over that he can and will.
Michael Malone says the Blazer he's concerned with is Rodney Hood. When the Blazers won Games 3 and 6, Hood has been what Malone called "the MVP."
Ball handler? Roll man? Denver's Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are twisting, manipulating and inverting one of the bedrock plays of basketball.
Our NBA experts preview the keys to each Game 7 and make predictions.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone didn't think much of the minor skirmish between his team and the Trail Blazers in Game 6, calling the incident indicative of playoff basketball.
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 54 | 28 | .659 | - | W1 |
| Portland | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1 | W3 |
| Utah | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4 | L1 |
| Oklahoma City | 49 | 33 | .598 | 5 | W5 |
| Minnesota | 36 | 46 | .439 | 18 | L3 |
| RD(PK) | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(14) | Michael Porter Jr. | SF | Missouri |
| 2(13) | Justin Jackson | SF | Maryland |
| 2(28) | Thomas Welsh | C | UCLA |
| YEAR | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 54 | 28 | .659 |
| 2017-18 | 46 | 36 | .561 |
| 2016-17 | 40 | 42 | .488 |
| 2015-16 | 33 | 49 | .402 |
| 2014-15 | 30 | 52 | .366 |
