Jokic dresses as MVP to put the Nuggets in the second round

Serbian center Nikola Jokic stepped on the accelerator when the Nuggets needed it most and with 36 points drove the victory of the Denver team over the Portland Trail Blazers by 115-126 that leaves a final 4-2 in the series and eliminates Damian Lillard's team from the playoffs.

This time, Lillard couldn't save the Blazers with 3-pointers as he did in Game 5 of the series when he scored 55 points of which 36 came from 12 3-pointers, both record numbers in playoff history.

The Blazers point guard scored 28 points tonight but only made 3 of the 11 3-pointers he attempted. Lillard also had 13 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.

Insufficient to stop some Nuggets led by Jokic who was seconded by Michael Porter Jr., with 26 points of which 22 were scored in the first quarter, and Monte Morris, a substitute who has proven vital for the team Denver and that tonight he added 22 points and 9 assists.

Argentine point guard for the Nuggets, Facundo Campazzo, who has started five of the six games in the series against the Blazers, had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block over Norman Powell, the Blazers forward who became his nemesis during the series.

The Nuggets trailed the Blazers for much of the game and trailed by as much as 14 points with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.

JOKIC TO THE RESCUE

But when everything pointed to the Blazzers forcing a Game 7, Jokic made an appearance. The Serbian center had only scored 9 points in the first half of the game. But after the break, the Serb scored 20 points in the third quarter and another 7 in the last 12 minutes.

Jokic took advantage of his defender, Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkic, making four personals in the third quarter forcing Blazers coach Terry Stotts to sit him out.

The game started facing the local team. Lillard moved the ball with ease on offense and found the many holes in Denver's defense. And on defense, the Blazers had Jokic in check.

Lillard made 2 of his 3 3-point attempts, had 12 points in the quarter and was looking to repeat his outstanding performance from the previous game.

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The only thing that allowed the Nuggets to hold out in that first quarter was the state of grace of Porter Jr. who made 6 of the 7 3-pointers he attempted and 2 of the 3 2-pointers. The 22-year-old forward, who is playing his third season in the NBA, was responsible for 22 of his team's 29 points in the opening quarter that ended in a 33-29 run for the Blazers.

In the second quarter, Jokic finally showed up. The center, who had not scored any points in the first 12 minutes, added his first basket 3 minutes after the start of the second quarter. But Porter Jr.'s well dried up (he missed the 2 triples he tried and only made 4 points) and the Blazers managed to extend their distance on the scoreboard.

LILLARD DEFLATES

At halftime, the Blazers were 7 points ahead, 68-61, to the delight of the 10,022 spectators at the Portland Moda Center.

At the restart, it seemed that the third quarter would serve to seal the game in favor of the Blazers. Power forward Robert Covington hooked a series of 3 triples of 3 attempts, two of them consecutive. Guard CJ McCollum chipped in with another 3-pointer and 2 2-pointers.

In the Nuggets only Jokic contributed points consistently and with 5 minutes to go in the third quarter, the Blazers were 14 points ahead, 93-79.

But suddenly, the Blazers lost their steam. After a Portland timeout with 93-82 on the scoreboard, the Nuggets punished the Blazers with a 0-9 run that with one minute remaining in the quarter left the lead at 97-93. A three pointer from Morris at the final whistle further reduced the gap, 101-98.

The Nuggets' comeback left Portland without an answer. Denver took the opportunity to tighten defense and close the gaps it had left in the first half. Jokic's 3-pointer with 6.28 to go put Denver ahead, 106-108.

The Blazers tried but Lillard couldn't pull off another miracle. The point guard missed the 3 triples that he attempted. On the other side of the court, neither Morris nor Jokic let up. With 1.37 to go, the Nuggets were already 8 points ahead, 113-121.

The Blazers saw all their hopes dashed with Lillard's final 3-point attempt with just 48 seconds remaining and the score at 115-125. Stotts decided to sit Lillard out and let the substitutes finish the game.

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