The Denver Nuggets have traded wins and losses with top teams across the NBA this season, remaining competitive.
For the two weeks Nikola Jokic has been recovering from ankle issues, the Denver Nuggets have been unpredictable. The team has been 2-3 over the past five games that the league MVP candidate was out.
The losses include a humiliating display against the Portland Trail Blazers and another one against the Chicago Bulls, leaving Michael Malone fuming about his team’s performances.
In the wake of the struggles the Nuggets have experienced, Michael Porter Jr. has stepped up at just the right time.
Earlier in the season, Michael Porter Jr. found his name thrown into of trade speculations, tipped as a makeweight with Zach LaVine about the Nuggets’ rumored interests for another shot creator.
A hamstring injury in early February disturbed his momentum in sustaining his solid level of play. Since the All-Star Break, he’s been averaging an inefficient 43.1 percent shooting with 30.3 percent marks from the outside, an uncharacteristic statistic considering his reputation as one of the sweet shooting snipers in the league.
Porter Jr.’s much needed game to redeem his shooting touch arrived on March 26, as he helped the Nuggets’ 127-117 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, playing their first game since the brutal news around Damian Lillard.
Dropping a well-rounded performance of 23 points, 10 boards, four assists, and three steals, he went 7-of-9 from the field and was on target beyond the arc with 6-of-8 three-point makes.
“I mean, we talked about it pregame when I was in here and obviously, we knew that he has not been shooting the way we’ve become accustomed to seeing him.
“I had zero doubt that he would find his rhythm because he’s too good of a shooter,” coach Malone said about Porter Jr. after the game.
“Michael is a really key part to this team and when he gets going like that, and you know what you are going to get with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, we become a really tough team to guard.”
Porter Jr. is positioned to complete another relatively healthy regular season after playing 81 games from the last 2023-24 outing. He is averaging 18.1 points while tallying career highs in boards (7.0) and dimes (2.1).
Bidding to reclaim their throne and win the NBA championship for the first time since 2023, the Nuggets have to cross their fingers can Porter Jr. will finally dust off his slump and be the team’s strong No. 3 behind Jokic and Jamal Murray.
“Tonight it was good to make some three-pointers, be up and down on my shot,” Porter Jr. said. “I feel like my balance has been off a little bit ever since that hamstring injury.
“I feel like I’m leaning a little bit to one side and it’s throwing me off a little bit. But I think today, I focused on being straight up and straight down and I made a couple [of shots]. I made a few tonight.
“Hopefully I can keep getting that hamstring [fine]. … It’s good to see a few go in tonight.”
