The nuggets finally shake loose, put a Whupping On Trail Blazers

Part of what has made Nuggets-Trail Blazers such a playoff series is the apparent similarity of the teams. The series being tied, neither team had won more than eight points and the last two games, one division, had been decided by a grand total of seven points. One of them did four fucking overtime hours. The Nuggets and Blazers entered the match on Tuesday night, separated by just two points in total in the series.

To be as much fun as it may be, it should be remembered that a perfectly equal series against the Blazers, without a doubt Nurkic, third seed, should represent a disappointing turn for the Denver Nuggets who for long periods of the regular season, had the best record at the Western Conference. In the fifth game, for the first time in this series, a significant gap has widened between the two teams. Denver played as a healthier, deeper team, and the highest seeded, winning a dominant 124-98 win at home. Blazers on the verge of elimination. The Nuggets have lead by wire and up to 31 points.

Nikola Jokic was great, because of course he was there. He had a phenomenal run in those playoffs and on Tuesday night, the only thing that kept him from scoring a double-double of 20 points and 20 rebounds was a sixth foul, cushioned with about four minutes of play and his Nuggets 22 points. Jokic finished with 25 points on 18 shots, plus 19 rebounds and six assists. For what it's worth, only 15 other players in NBA history have already racked up so many points, rebounds and assists in a playoff game, and all of them are already or will be in the Hall of Fame .

Jokic had more help than usual in the fifth match. Paul Millsap had 24 points and eight rebounds for an effective shot, and Gary Harris's wing quartet Will Barton, Malik Beasley and Torrey Craig combined for a total of 44 points and exactly. Jamal Murray was the human incarnation of the emoji: the steam escaped him, sneaking and dancing to make his way through the Portland defense, trying sequences of delicate and jubilant movements. Murray finished with 18 points and nine assists, and spent the game in a kind of hyper-aggressive runaway that was truly thrilling to watch.

Murray's show and Denver's walk seemed to soften the rest of the Nuggets, so by the time this game got confused, things were going downhill:

Given the evolution of the series and the magnitude and excitement of the local Portland crowd, there is plenty to expect for the Trail Blazers to react to this. clash with one of theirs in the game 6. Denver has taken advantage of shooting nights almost across the board of Portland's most important offensive players – only a madman can bet against Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in a playoff game , with a tight shot at the final of the conference. We will forgive this brilliant result if this series regains its rights and spreads in seven matches.