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The Denver Nuggets reclaimed the advantage in the first round of their NBA playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, and now lead 3-2. They overcame what was Damian Lillard’s highest ever playoff return of 55 points along with 10 assists and won the game in the second overtime.
Nikola Jokic starred for the Denver Nuggets in what proved to be the most thrilling match of the 2021 NBA playoffs so far. He finished with a stat line of 38 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Monte Morris also produced a commanding performance and finished with 28 points and five assists off the bench.
Lillard got little support from teammates and finished with only one turnover and a shooting efficiency of slightly over 70%. Robert Covington also produced a double-double and had an impact on both ends of the court. He produced 19 points and 11 rebounds and was the most prolific after Lillard for the Portland Trail Blazers on the night.
Match Details
Fixture - Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers| Game 6, 2020-21 NBA Playoffs.
Date & Time - Thursday, June 3rd; 8:00 PM ET (Friday, June 4th; 5:30 AM IST).
Venue - Moda Center, Portland, OR
Denver Nuggets Preview
The Denver Nuggets were able to overcome the Portland Trail Blazers after some impressive individual performances of their own. They bounced back from a bad loss in game 4, with Nikola Jokic running the offense until the very end. He kept his side in the game despite not having his most efficient shooting night.
Meanwhile, Monte Morris also produced what was his best ever performance in a playoff match. He came off the bench to score 28 points and converted four of his nine three-pointers. Finally, Michael Porter Jr. also produced his best game of the series so far, and bounced back from a poor game 4 to finish with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Key Player – Nikola Jokic
While Lillard ran the show at one end, Jokic was also at his very best and produced an incredible two-way performance. He converted only 14 of his 31 field-goal attempts but finished with almost 28 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, four blocks and a steal. Jokic combined with Morris to score 16 of his team’s 26 points over two overtimes despite playing a huge role through the fourth quarter. The series is set to go all the way down to the wire, with two of the best offensive players in the NBA producing some of their best basketball of the season.
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers will have home court advantage in game 5 and are perfectly capable of staging a comeback. CJ McCollum and Norman Powell were both poor with their shooting on the night and the Trail Blazers were carried to overtime by Damian Lillard to a huge degree.
Covington was the second-best shooter on the night and converted half of all his three-point attempts. Norman Powell will hope that game 4 was a blip as he got none of his three-pointers on target and finished with his lowest points-total of the series, with 13. The Trail Blazers will hope for a better shooting record from the rest of their roster and will be ruing some crucial turnovers that they committed in game 4.
Key Player – Damian Lillard
Lillard was absolutely sensational in game 4 and the best player on the court by some margin. He had 17 three-point attempts and converted 12 of them, breaking an NBA playoff record. Lillard was at his clutch-best, forcing the match into overtime by forcing a turnover and then producing a three-pointer.
The Trail Blazers trailed by eight points with less than two minutes left in overtime. Lillard responded with three three-pointers, the last of which came with 6.6 seconds remaining on the clock. Considering his level during game 5 and the fact that he was poor in only one of the five games so far, the Portland Trail Blazers still have a fair chance of winning the series.
Predicted Starting 5's
Portland Trail Blazers
Point Guard - Damian Lillard | Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum | Small Forward - Norman Powell | Power Forward - Robert Covington | Center - Jusuf Nurkic
Denver Nuggets
Point Guard - Facundo Campazzo | Shooting Guard - Austin Rivers | Small Forward - Michael Porter Jr. | Power Forward - Aaron Gordon | Center - Nikola Jokic
Trail Blazers vs Nuggets Match Prediction
In what has been a topsy-turvy series so far, both teams look capable of producing a victory in game 6. The Portland Trail Blazers entered a do-or-die phase and were carried by their top player Lillard. However, the rest of the roster had an average night.
The Denver Nuggets were impressive but will be against the Trail Blazers on their home court. Hence, the Portland Trail Blazers have a slight advantage in game 6.
Where to watch the Trail Blazers vs Nuggets matchup
Game five will be broadcast locally on NBC Sports Northwest and on the Altitude network. It will also be shown nationally on TNT and NBA TV and is available on the NBA League Pass.
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