The Denver Nuggets snapped their three game losing streak tonight with a huge 114 to 99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Pepsi Center Thursday night.
For the first time in what seems like weeks the Nuggets offense was back on track, and in a big way. Denver shot a blistering 50% (18-36) from three and as a result the entire floor opened up. The Nuggets had a balanced attack with six different players in double figures led by Jerami Grant, who shot 5-6 from deep on his way to 20 points.
Nikola Jokic looked back to his old self while orchestrating the offense. He finished with 20-11-6 and really helped keep things steady throughout the night as the Blazers kept chipping away. Gary Harris also had a solid game by hitting some open threes and doing an admirable job on defense.
The other telling story tonight: Denver’s bench outscored Portland’s 46 to 9. A 37 point differential and a huge difference maker. Solid, solid effort from everyone, not just Jerami Grant.
Denver’s game plan was clearly to limit Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. It worked – the Blazer’s backcourt was held to just 28 points combined on 27 attempts. The trade-off was that Hassan Whiteside caused fits for Denver all night. Whiteside scored a career high 33 points and grabbed 11 boards, a valiant attempt but still a losing effort.
Finally, Carmelo Anthony had a vintage Melo game. Melo went for 20 points and nine rebounds, hit a couple threes and garnered a positive response from the Denver crowd. It was really cool to see him back in form in Denver, especially against his successor Nikola Jokic. Still, he took another L. I genuinely don’t think he will ever win a game in Pepsi Center again and that’s totally fine.
Coming off a rough road trip, the Nuggets couldn’t have asked for a better start to a five-game homestand. Up next is another homecoming with Danilo Gallinari and the Oklahoma City Thunder paying visit on Saturday.
