To have a chance against the vaunted Thunder, we knew that the Nuggets were going to need all hands on deck. That means a strong showing from all six of their meaningful playoff rotation players, the starters, and Russell Westbrook.
They don’t need guys to play outside of their skillsets, they just need everybody to play their game to the best of their capabilities. For Michael Porter Jr., that means spacing the floor, getting up shots, and knocking them down. With his size and shooting ability, he has the ability to make a major difference in this series and bring the Nuggets' offense to another level.
But in Game 1, MPJ was not up to the task at all. He has been playing through a gruesome shoulder injury, which certainly played a factor, but Mike was only able to contribute 2 points on 1/8 shooting, and he missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
That’s about as bad a night as you can get from Porter Jr., and David Adelman recognized it, playing him just 24 minutes before pulling the plug. MPJ was killing Denver on the defensive end as well, and he finished a whopping -15 in those minutes when he was on the floor.
Nuggets lucky to steal Game 1 win
Given such a rough performance from an important starter, it’s amazing that the Nuggets were still able to steal a 121-119 Game 1 victory in OKC. Nikola Jokic was brilliant with 42 points and 22 rebounds, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, and Russell Westbrook were rock solid, and Aaron Gordon was a beast, hitting the game-winning three-pointer to stun the Thunder and the rest of the NBA world.
While it’s a great start for Denver, and they should be thrilled to be up 1-0, they essentially stole this game. OKC was in control for much of the night and led by as many as 14 before gagging this one away down the stretch and giving the Nuggets this great opportunity, which they happily took.
Nuggets need more from Porter Jr. going forward
The Thunder are going to make some adjustments, throw some counter-punches, and most likely play a lot better overall. The Nuggets are going to match that, and they are going to need Michael Porter Jr. to step up at some point.
Jokic is amazing, but you probably can’t count on 42/22 every night. The Nuggets won despite making just 10 three-pointers, with Gordon being the only player to make three or more. They need the spacing and shot-making that MPJ can provide. Even with the shoulder injury, he was able to give them solid minutes in Games 4, 5, and 7 of the Clippers series.
The ability is in there, he just has to rise to the occasion. Again, I want to give him a lot of credit for having the toughness to fight through this injury. But if it’s going to look the way it did in Game 1, the team may be better suited with him not playing at all.