Here we are again. The day in between games has passed, and the series is back. After Damian Lillard had a night for the ages in a heartbreaking Game 5 loss, can he lift the Portland Trail Blazers back into the series and propel this one to seven games? If he cannot, the Denver Nuggets will be moving on to face an opponent that is yet to be determined.
Playing on their home floor in Game 5, the Nuggets rode on Nikola Jokic heavily in the overtime sessions. He made a magnificent cross-court pass out of a double-team to Michael Porter Jr. for the biggest basket of the evening that most people cannot believe was real. The team made all of the right reads and plays and is one win from moving on, sans Jamal Murray.
Lillard became the first player in NBA History, regular season or playoffs, to have 50 points, 10 3’s and 10 assists last game. To think that history is still being made in times like this is incredible. Lillard hit a playoff-record 12 threes on just 17 attempts and was as clutch as any player could be. Watching them lose the last game hurt the soul.
If Portland can win at home tonight, it will be the second time in three years that these teams play a seven-game series.
ODDS
Portland -5 is the way the spread now sits. The over/under is 227.5 points.
Denver Seeks to Punch Ticker
Without getting into the preview immediately, let it be said that this game starting at 8:00 PM ET is tremendous. All series long, the games have been starting at 9:00 PM ET and 10:00. There have been so many late finishes, that those who go to sleep early had no chance of being able to stay up for.
But play is resuming, and it’s a critical one. The most impressive thing about the MPJ three was that it marked one of only three times he touched the ball in the overtime sessions. Jokic and Monte Morris ran a two-man game for the most part, with Austin Rivers also hitting a big bucket.
The keys to victory are obvious. Keep Jusuf Nurkic in foul trouble. A heavy dose of Jokic. And good scoring balance from everybody else. Keep Dame under 50, too.
Portland Aims to Keep Season Alive
All the Blazers have to do today is win. That is literally it. They have one job. If they can do that, a seventh game will be played this weekend, something most fans are clamoring for. Bouncing back from a one-basket effort to a 55-10 night is just another day in the life of Dame Lillard.
There is very little he cannot do. But, being a smaller guard, he can carry the O all he wants, but defense is the challenge. Also, nobody else stepped up for the team. CJ McCollum and Norman Powell were MIA in the second overtime when they were needed most.
If the team can’t count on anybody else, it will end.
NUGGETS MOVE ON
Denver will move on to round two with the win this evening. Sorry, Dame. Sorry, Portland. Terry Stotts just might get fired now. Free David Vanterpool.
FREE PLAY: DEN +5
OVER/UNDER: OVER 227.5
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