Damian Lillard didn’t want to lose, and his momentum managed to force the first overtime with an incredible trippy three seconds from the end. Then came the most incredible, when he alone came back 8 points behind in the absence of a minute and a half of added time with three consecutive triples and forced second overtime with just 6.4 seconds remaining in the locker.
Lillard’s video game exhibit, which left Kevin Durant or Stephen Curry “speechless”, two of the many stars hooked on TV, went unrewarded. The Denver Nuggets stood their ground against the resolution of the Portland Trail Blazers star and they managed to win by 147-140 at home after a grueling match that places the 3-2 in the tie favorable to those of Colorado.
Nikola Jokic, who once again led the Nuggets resistance with 38 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks, praised his team for the constant fight on the track. “No one is going to take the fight from us, we never lose that”, found after acknowledging that the team missed several opportunities to kill the game.
“We have scored 147 points, many players have to contribute to achieve that. We have had a good leadership and we have screwed it up, but then we have known how to respond to the challenge”, Explained the Serbian, the main candidate for the NBA MVP.
About him lillard video game party, with whom he exchanged incredible shots in several sections of the decisive minutes, Jokic said rather little as soon as he finished the 58-minute thriller. “We have to stay focused. That’s what they do. They made a shot with some fortune. “, valued the crack of Denver.
Some will say luck and others will say excellence. Lillard for years has patented
the ‘clutch-time’, when the matches are played in the final seconds, as ‘Dame-time’. For most fans, in their head and indeed in reality, the tight ends with the Blazers in contention are prime-time television.
Last night was a tremendous tribute to basketball, with the Portland guard reaching 55 points in a series of 17 of 24 in field goals and 12 of 17 in triples, who also complemented with 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Its 55 points are Blazers’ playoff scoring record, and his 12 3-pointers are an NBA-wide playoff record, exceeding 11 of Klay thompson against the Thunder in 2016.
Gasoline ran out for Lillard in the second overtime after linking 11-1 streak in favor of the Blazers between the first added time and the second. Then came a couple of poor decision-making, Denver’s response, and a missed 3-pointer in the final seconds, maybe the only proof left to remember that he still walks among us and he is not a console character.
Lillard scored 17 of Portland’s 19 points in both overtime, but stayed dry after putting his team ahead 138-140 with 3:47 left for the final honk. His teammates also did not get another field shot in the game. Robert Covington he missed a mate called 41 seconds from the end and CJ McCollum stepped on the touchline at 9.1 seconds to commit a loss that proved final.
Portland went a long way after being 54-32 down in the game 8 minutes before the break. The Nuggets blew their lead in 5 minutes after receiving or
partial n of 23-6 who left 65-62 at recess. McCollum closed that set with a jump shot from four meters over the horn.
Denver’s triumph came after a long and hard journey through the match, and Jokic had lto the invaluable help of Monte Morris, author of 28 points and 5 assists from the bench, and Michael Porter Jr., who contributed 26 points and 12 rebounds from the starting five. Both collaborators scored in the final moments to sentence the crash.
Austin riversMore and more consolidated, he finished with 18 points and 7 assists although he could do little as defense manager over Lillard. The Argentinian Facundo Campazzo was more discreet last night and contributed 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes of play.
In addition to its star, Portland had all five of its starters in double digits to set up the comeback against Denver. Despite the loss, what Lillard did will go down in league history.