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PORTLAND – Jamal Murray opened base game 4 of match # 4 after being forced to take a rainbow shot in the backplane that smudged over the panel and fell.
And the guard sealed the game with six free throws in the final 13.2 seconds to help the Denver Nuggets win their most courageous win of the season with a 116-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers and even that best series of seven 2-2.
A little over 40 hours after losing the third match of a grueling marathon that was the longest in the NBA playoff history, the Nuggets returned to the Moda Center, determined not to let fatigue decide the outcome of their season. And they responded by taking home home advantage as the series turned to Denver for the fifth game on Tuesday.
"You get down from 1 to 3, we all know how this story ends," said Denver coach Michael Malone. "We never frayed, we stayed together and I can not speak enough about the resistance and tenacity of our team."
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The brains as tired as his legs after the testamentary testament of three hours and 25 minutes on Friday, the Nuggets led Murray and Nikola Jokic to their biggest rebound of the season, while the duo was only the second pair of teammates to record a triple-double and a game of 30 points in the playoffs in a row since Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers did in 1980 against the Suns, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
Murray opened the match with his rainbow-like flush at the back-basket resembling Larry Bird and an emphatic dunk in the first quarter against Enes Kanter with a scowl to set the tone for Denver. Murray scored 34 points for the second consecutive game with five rebounds and four assists.
And after recording 65 minutes of play in the third game, Jokic offered his second consecutive triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, although he complained every time he touched the ball from Portland fans who found him too physically injured left shoulder.
"We just figured that if we win today, the last game will not matter," said Jokic. "Yes, we played four times more, it was exhausting, but we want the last game does not really count."
Malone gave his team basketball day Saturday because he wanted his players to physically and mentally refresh themselves after losing 140-137, lost four times on Friday. No movie. No shot. Just visit with the training staff if necessary.
"For me, I eat well, I watch a TV show, I eat well again, I sleep," said Jokic. "And to be honest, I have not thought about this game all day."
The Nuggets were scared with 47.9 seconds left when Jokic limped off the bench after being hit in the right knee. Jokic said his body had become numb, but he came back at the end of the match and said he was fine.
Most could have expected Jokic's 7-foot, 285-pound body to become numb after playing the biggest number of minutes in the playoffs by an NBA player since 1953. But the center of the stars responded with his fourth triple-double of the playoffs, the second triple-doubles by a player in his playoff debut behind Johnson's five triple-doubles.
Jokic's passes were visible when the match was online. He allowed four assists for Denver's huge baskets after the Blazers reduced the Nuggets' lead to one spot in 3:26.
And when Damian Lillard (28 points) and CJ McCollum (29 points) got the Blazers on two occasions three times in the last 20 seconds, Murray responded with a pair of free throws each time.
"Free throws [are] my thing, "said Murray, who is a free throw shooter with an 87.9 percent career." My dad and I do a lot of free throw training, blindfolded. He's going to talk to me like the crowd, put the pressure on me. Practice 1,000 free throws in practice to make one or two. Tonight, it ended up being six. "
In what is the first playoff game for many of the young Nuggets, Denver lost Game 1 in the first round at home, Match 3 and 6 in San Antonio and each time bounced back with what was fundamentally an unmissable win against Spurs.
After the biggest rebound of the Nuggets up to now, keep Gary Harris was asked about the resilience of Nuggets.
"Everyone just learned this word now?" Jokic, standing next to Harris in the locker room, asked.
No one is questioning the courage of the Nuggets after overcoming one of the most physically challenging situations for any team. It's not since 1953, when the only other playoff game with four extra plays was played, that a team had to bounce back from such a heartbreaking physical and mental defeat.
"I was really confident because in tight games this year we are 13-3, decided by three points or less," said Malone. "We are 12-1 in the second nights of a second consecutive record, NBA's best record."
"To come here and win this game [over] 36 hours after losing four games in overtime shows how difficult we are. "
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