It was not pretty, but the Denver Nuggets were able to stay alive due to a close win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Denver Nuggets got the win, but it was one of the most stressful games to watch this season. Denver saw themselves down 49-42 at the half and it looked as if things were going to get ugly with the way things were going.
However, Nikola Jokic was there to save the day once more and had another huge performance which extended the win streak to six straight. Jokic had his second straight triple double which consisted of 15 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists.
Will Barton also came up with some crucial points again as he came away with a team high 22 points. This game also saw the return of Gary Harris who did not start and had a minutes restriction. Harris made the most of his minutes by tallying 12 points and coming away with a game sealing steal in the waning seconds from C.J. McCollum.
One player who massively struggled was Paul Millsap. He looked sluggish all night and finished with a putrid six points while only shooting 20% from the field. Not a good look at all from your $30 million a year man.
The good sign about this is the team was still able to scrap their way to a win in a game with heavy implications. Millsap will have to be much more effective in the make or break game in Minnesota on April 11.
The Nuggets’ defense got somewhat lucky as the Blazers were a bit cold from the field. Portland shot only 33% while only shooting 21.2% from three point territory. Rest assured, the Timberwolves will be much more effective in their shot making in the next game.
Next: Top ten players in Denver's history
It was not a pretty win, but at this point, we will take any win. The whole season comes down to the game in Minnesota!