The Nuggets lost 128-109 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night at Moda Center after leading at halftime.
Nikola Jokic missed his third consecutive game with elbow and ankle injuries as the team continued to prioritize his health ahead of the playoffs. He has played through both injuries as recently as last Saturday against the Wizards at Ball Arena.
Now the Nuggets (44-27) have to board a long flight to Houston, where they’ll face the second-place Rockets on Sunday to wrap up a four-game road trip. Denver remains in fourth place in the West as of Friday night with the loss.
No excuses on the glass
The Nuggets seemed on the verge of a runaway victory early in the first quarter, when Gordon imposed his will inside and got to the foul line. But Portland put together a quick 10-0 game-tying run to establish the tone for a back-and-forth affair. By the time it was 19-19, the Blazers already had eight second-chance points. They were on their way to finishing the night with 26, including a barrage of offensive rebounds during a huge third-quarter run.
Poor rebounding can be an occasional side-effect of playing small, which Michael Malone was doing with Gordon at center in a three-guard starting lineup. But the excuse simply didn’t have legs in this matchup, under these circumstances. Portland centers Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams III and Deandre Ayton were all inactive, meaning the Blazers didn’t use a player taller than 6-foot-9 in their rotation.
The margin was almost entirely effort.
Point of attack defense
The Nuggets can switch more when Gordon is at the five, but Portland spammed them with pick-and-rolls and attacked matchups all night. Up and down the rotation, Denver struggled to guard one-on-one, accentuating a season-long issue that looms over its championship hopes. The Blazers won 64-42 in the paint, an area the Nuggets usually dominate. Many of the second-chance points they surrendered were easy clean-up buckets after straight-line drives.
Deni Avdija went for 36 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Portland. Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points despite a 1-for-10 game beyond the arc.
Ups and downs of Russ
Russell Westbrook’s rim pressure was the Nuggets’ best form of offense in the first half. He led them with 15 points at the break on just six shot attempts, getting downhill with ease instead of settling for jumpers. When he did, he invited contact and drew shooting fouls.
But Denver played through him a little too much with Jamal Murray seemingly easing back from a twisted ankle, which caused him to miss the previous two games. The Blazers started to speed Westbrook up in the third quarter, and the game spiraled out of control for Denver. He committed a season-high nine turnovers, including three offensive fouls. He shot 1 of 7 from the field after halftime and led the team in total shot attempts with 13. Murray, Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. took 10 each.
The Nuggets coughed it up 20 times as a team.
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