The Denver Nuggets outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday evening, winning in overtime by a 137-132 final score. Nicola Jokic led the victors with a triple-double (35 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists). Toumani Camara paced the Blazers with 30 points.
Player of the Game
Lots of heroes in this game on both teams, but the nod goes to Toumani Camara for the Blazers and Nicola Jokic for the Nuggets. Toumani played superbly to get the Blazers within sight of the finish line, but the Joker had the last laugh. It’s
not just the numbers. The Nuggets revolve around their MVP candidate and are all the better for it. Aaron Gordon added 23 clutch points and Jamal Murray 20 to snatch the win.
Stat of the Night
The game was decided by the points in overtime, which won 14-9. The better team prevailed when the chips were all on the table, but they didn’t have much of an edge when the smoke cleared. The Blazers could have won but didn’t, and on to the next one they go.
What We Noticed
First things first: the Blazers were ready to roll from the opening tip tonight. They won the first quarter 35-31, were up 72-58 at halftime and led 101-87 after three. The final verdict was decided in crunch time, but no question the Blazers showed up ready to trade blows with one the top teams in the league. At least Portland fans can cheer the early energy.
Up Next
The Blazers are headed for a match with the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday before returning home for two games to close out the regular season. Game time in SA is 6:30 PDT.
