It was not the best Blazers performance we have seen all year but they somehow managed to steal a much-needed win thereby preventing themselves from going 2-0 down.
The Joker finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, but could not do enough to secure the W at home.
Let’s take a look at some key talking points from this odd encounter:
#1 Denver succeed in cramping Lillard while Portland role players take over
In a game where the Nuggets held Dame to 5-of-17 shooting from the floor and an uncharacteristic 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, McCollum, Kanter and Hood each contributed at least 15 points to Portland’s winning cause.
Coming into this game, Lillard was averaging 34.8 points in the playoffs and to hold him to just 14 points in Game 2 would’ve needed some serious effort on the defensive end. Also, Maurice Harkless left the game after rolling an ankle and never returned.
Despite all the hurdles, CJ played 41 minutes and ended with a game-high 20 points along with 6 boards and 6 dimes on the night. Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter combined for 30 points while Aminu recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds.
#2 Nuggets attack the offensive glass but fail to capitalize
Averaging around 12 offensive boards per game this year, the Nuggets sure know how to rack up second chance points on a nightly basis. Against the Blazers, they pulled down 23 rebounds on the offensive glass, 14 of which came in the final quarter when they were making a run.
Paul Millsap attacked the paint down the stretch and finished with 5 offensive boards of his own. Denver managed to cut a 17-point Portland advantage down to 5 in the final few moments of the game. However, that could’ve been a whole different story had they converted on all their second chances at the rim.
#3 Jamal Murray’s thigh a cause for concern; Torrey Craig is tough
During the physical and hard-fought game, Jamal Murray re-aggravated his thigh injury from Round 1 (caused by a screen from Spurs’ Jacob Poeltl) and had to be taken out for the final 53 seconds. According to him, he ran into another screen in Game 2 and had noticeble issues moving as the game progressed.
Murray finished with a sub-par 15 points on a miserable 6-of-18 shooting night from the floor.
Denver’s starting small forward Torrey Craig had to endure a possible nasal contusion after he got knocked down and hit Monte Morris’ foot. He was rushed off the court with blood gushing out of his injured nose.
To everyone’s delight, Craig returned with a mask on and checked in with more than a quarter remaining in the game, sinking a three immediately.
When Craig was slammed into the ground again (this time by Kanter), Murray and the rest of the bench took offense to it and a heated scuffle broke out mid-court with 43 seconds left in the game. Both Murray and Kanter were assessed technicals.
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