The NBA playoffs continued, and today the Nuggets continued to travel to challenge the Lakers, who eventually lost to the Lakers 108-119. Swallow the first loss of the series. Although the Nuggets lost today, they still have a 3-1 lead over the Lakers, and they have a chance to finish the series at home next time.
Jokic continued to play well in this game, scoring 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in the game. Although Jokic recorded a big triple-double, it still couldn't help the team win. The Nuggets didn't perform well on the outside today, scoring 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting from beyond the three-point line and 0-of-4 from beyond the three-point line. Porter Jr. continued the feel of the entire series today, scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds today.
In fact, throughout this series, Murray's performance can be called sluggish. He averaged 21.5 points per game in four games, but shot as low as 38 percent from the field and 20 percent from three-point range. On the other hand, Porter Jr. averaged 22 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in this round of the series. He shot 44 percent from three-point range and 53 percent from the field, and is currently the second-highest scoring average on the team after Jokic in the playoffs.
The conventional wisdom is that Porter Jr. is just a shooter, and the Nuggets have no doubt that Murray is the true second-in-command. But Porter Jr.'s performance in this series is like a second-best performance. Although in the Nuggets' offensive system, the ball is not in the hands of Porter Jr., but in the hands of Murray. But Porter Jr. was very resolute in his shots after receiving the ball, and his efficiency seemed to be better than Murray's. The reason why the Nuggets were able to win three games against the Lakers was that in addition to about an extremely stable performance, Porter Jr. was an important factor in the Nuggets' victory.
Before the series began, James had emphasized that if he wanted to beat the Nuggets, he had to limit Porter Jr. James once said that if Porter Jr. can play A+, then this Nuggets team cannot be beaten. And it turns out that Porter Jr. has played an S-level performance in this series. He is currently the Nuggets' second-highest scorer behind Jokic.
In the final analysis, the Lakers have no player at the forward position who can interfere with Porter Jr.'s shooting, and Porter Jr. himself is a player with a very high jump shot, and whether he can score or not depends on his touch. The Lakers' defense of the outside line is looser, which makes it easier for Porter Jr. to get good shots. So when the Nuggets really go to a higher level, Porter Jr. may be an important factor in the Nuggets' victory. If he can continue his good touch, it will be crucial for the Nuggets.