On the possession after the timeout, the Blazers ran a play for Deandre Ayton in the lane. Head Coach Chauncey Billups called a timeout at the 6:54 mark, Portland suddenly down 39-31. converted a bunny off of the offensive rebound, another bad sign. They forced a miss on the run-out, but Michael Porter, Jr. On the next possession, the Blazers turned it over. With 7:10 remaining, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finally got a three to fall. The Blazers were within a point, 30-29, with 8:30 left in the second. Duop Reath, Jerami Grant, and Danalo Banton all scored deep in the lane, converting before the Nuggets defense could set up. Portland’s second unit kept up the energy at the start of the second, running Denver’s bench harder than they wanted. That’s the only thing that kept the Blazers anything close to close. Denver still had trouble hitting threes, back-ironing almost everything. But all the energy in the world wasn’t stopping Nikola Jokic, who accumulated 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists in the quarter. Toumani Camara, Danalo Banton, and Jabari Walker looked pretty good in the middle minutes of the period. The devil-may-care pace of play favored Portland’s energy players. The Nuggets led 16-12 with 5:00 remaining. A couple of minutes after Portland built their advantage, Denver erased it and then some. Denver also started running, quick-posting with tall guys that Portland had no hope of defending. Denver obliged by turning over the ball multiple times, which allowed Portland transition buckets, staking the home team to a brief, 8-3 lead. Each hit a three, but threw up enough bricks in the process to demolish a glass factory. The Blazers and Nuggets started the game by trading half-hearted jumpers in the halfcourt. The Nuggets shot 58.8% from the field, 39.4% from the three-point arc on their way to an easy 127-112 win over the Blazers. Jerami Grant put in 25 for the Blazers and Deandre Ayton added 22, but Portland’s best contributors seemed like bit players compared to Denver’s troupe. Colin Gillespe had a career-high 18 off the bench.

Jokic posted a strong triple double against Portland with 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 14 assists.

They really, really did not have MVP center Nikola Jokic.

They did not have guards Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson. Victor Wembanyama Makes History vs.The Portland Trail Blazers had energy, drive, and plenty moxie as they faced the World Champion Denver Nuggets at the Moda Center on Friday night. Michael Malone Reveals Hilarious Moment With Nikola Jokic After Ejection The Nuggets currently lead the regular season series 3-0 and have a six game winning streak. The Denver Nuggets face off against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at 10:00 p.m. When it comes to winning the MVP award, Jokic has the perfect combination of performance, availability, and winning.

Nikola Jokic has played in 68 out of 70 total games for the Nuggets this season, with tonight only being his third missed game. The Denver Nuggets don't have much experience without Jokic this season, only having a record of 1-1 without the big man thus far. What he's been doing against the Trail Blazers has been truly the definition of an MVP. In three games against the Portland Trail Blazers this season, Nikola Jokic is averaging 28.3 points, 15.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 66/43/86.

Trail blazers vs nuggets game 5