Michael Porter Jr. said he "cooked the Lakers" in the playoffs because they didn't have a defender who could chase him off screens and contest his shots.
Michael Porter Jr. has had the privilege of playing alongside three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic in Denver, but his career recently took a sharp turn east. The forward was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in a trade for Cameron Johnson, ending his run with the Nuggets.
Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr.
Position: SF
Age: 27
Height: 208 cm
Weight: 95 kg
Birth place: Missouri, United States of America
During his time in Denver, the Nuggets proved to be the Los Angeles Lakers' kryptonite.
The two teams met in consecutive postseasons—in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and the first round of the 2024 Playoffs—and Denver dominated both matchups, winning eight of nine games.
On the Glory Daze podcast with Johnny Manziel, Porter Jr. reflected on those battles with LeBron James and the Lakers, and he didn't hold back:
"I always had a good series against the Lakers," Porter Jr. did not shy away. "I don't know what it was, but I always cooked the Lakers. So, I loved playing against them. I just think they didn't have a guy, a matchup for me that was trying to come off of screens and things like that, and I was able to get off my shots."
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"You know, some of the teams that we played down the road, they kind of had a better matchup for me, but those series against Bron were dope."
And the numbers back him up. In the 2023 conference finals, Porter was Denver's third option behind Jokic and Jamal Murray, averaging 15.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.
A year later, he raised his game in the first-round rematch, putting up 22.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists across five games.
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