The Portland Trail Blazers got buried alive in NBA action tonight, falling to the Denver Nuggets 157-103 in their first game after the All-Star break. Nicola Jokic led the onslaught for the Nuggets with 32 points, Jrue Holiday scored 19 for the Blazers.
The Joker is no joke. The big question every season is whether or not Nicola Jokic is the league MVP, but the answer seemed obvious from the opening tip in this game. Jokic already had 19 points in his pocket when the Blazers called time with 2:33 left in the first quarter, and it didn’t get much better from there. He finished with 32 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals.
One of these things is not like the other: the Nuggets starters scored 98 points, the first five for the Blazers answered with 65. There are not many nights when an advantage this wide can be overcome, and tonight was most definitely not one of them.
The Blazers caught the Nuggets on the second game of a back-to-back tonight. Unfortunately. After losing a close game in Los Angeles last night, the visitors rolled into the Moda Center with serious business on their minds. On the other hand, the Blazers looked like, well, like they hadn’t played a game for several days.
The Blazers hit the road next for a matchup Sunday with the Phoenix Suns. Game time is 5:00 PM., PST.
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