Denver Nuggets Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images Denver Nuggets
After an exciting final stretch in which multiple squads tried to…lose, the Denver Nuggets will face the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, a tight matchup that could break in either team’s favor.
Many believe the Dallas Mavericks were Denver’s best target opponent, however, a certain West Coast team tanked multiple games to cellar dwellers to secure this matchup, a move that is discouraged by the league…but still happens *cough* by accident sometimes.
After an exciting final stretch in which multiple squads tried to… well, lose, the Denver Nuggets will face the Portland Trail Blazers in the postseason.
Nonetheless, the Nuggets avoided the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, leaving a reasonable chance for success during a year in which they’re limping along without anything resembling their starting backcourt.
As the Nuggets and Trail Blazers prepare to clash antlers in what’s sure to be a series full of highlight-reel deep shots, slick post play, and gritty defense, let’s examine key battlegrounds in this matchup.
Battleground #1: Nikola Jokic vs. Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter
Just how great is MVP frontrunner Nikola Jokic? The boundaries may be stretched yet again, as the Nuggets will require a heroic effort (perhaps another career-leading stretch) from their superstar in order to advance to the semifinals.
Jokic is the best player in the series, fresh off a strong regular season in which he averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per contest, while shooting 56.6 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from deep, and 86.8 percent from the charity stripe.
He’s among the league’s best at punishing double-teams and controls the offense in remarkable fashion. And Portland is a favorable matchup for him.
Jusuf Nurkic, who will be his primary defender, is a bully of a big man who plays with power and physicality. He’s best known for rebounding, strength and strutting around the court whenever he does anything of significance. Nonetheless, Nurkic lacks the height, quickness and defensive intelligence to shut down Jokic, as Nurkic’s best chance is frustrating Jokic with physical play. If Jokic can consistently get to his spots and shoot his right-handed jump hook, thus setting the table for counter-moves, he’ll be a nightmare to contain.
Meanwhile, Enes Kanter is another physical post who’s notorious for his offensive boards and underwhelming defense. Jokic should be able to capitalize on minutes with Kanter guarding him, although he’ll have to fight through some physical play.
If Denver orchestrates their offense downhill through Jokic, riding his dominant scoring and hitting shots off his passes, they’ll be well-primed to make Portland sweat. However, if Jokic is bumped, banged and frustrated into anything other than excellence, the Trail Blazers will consider this a success.
Denver Nuggets</a> will face the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, a tight matchup that could break in either team’s favor.</p>
<p>Many believe the Dallas Mavericks were Denver’s best target opponent, however, a certain West Coast team tanked multiple games to cellar dwellers to secure this matchup, a move that is discouraged by the league…but still happens *cough* <em>by accident</em> sometimes.</p>
<h2>After an exciting final stretch in which multiple squads tried to… well, lose, the Denver Nuggets will face the Portland Trail Blazers in the postseason.</h2>
<p>Nonetheless, the Nuggets <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/19/denver-nuggets-key-battlegrounds-matchup/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/12/lakers-3-roadblocks-lebron-james/">avoided the Los Angeles Lakers</a> in the first round, leaving a reasonable chance for success during a year in which they’re limping along without anything resembling their starting backcourt.</p>
<p>As the Nuggets and Trail Blazers prepare to clash antlers in what’s sure to be a series full of highlight-reel deep shots, slick post play, and gritty defense, let’s examine key battlegrounds in this matchup.</p>
<h2>Battleground #1: Nikola Jokic vs. Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter</h2>
<p>Just how great is MVP frontrunner <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/19/denver-nuggets-key-battlegrounds-matchup/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">Nikola Jokic</a>? The boundaries may be stretched yet again, as the Nuggets will require a heroic effort (perhaps another career-leading stretch) from their superstar in order to advance to the semifinals.</p>
<p>Jokic is the best player in the series, fresh off a strong regular season in which he averaged 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per contest, while shooting 56.6 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from deep, and 86.8 percent from the charity stripe.</p>
<p>He’s among the league’s best at punishing double-teams and controls the offense in remarkable fashion. And Portland is a favorable matchup for him.</p>
<p>Jusuf Nurkic, who will be his primary defender, is a bully of a big man who plays with power and physicality. He’s best known for rebounding, strength and strutting around the court whenever he does anything of significance. Nonetheless, Nurkic lacks the height, quickness and defensive intelligence to shut down Jokic, as Nurkic’s best chance is frustrating Jokic with physical play. If Jokic can consistently get to his spots and shoot his right-handed jump hook, thus setting the table for counter-moves, he’ll be a nightmare to contain.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Enes Kanter is another physical post who’s notorious for his offensive boards and underwhelming defense. Jokic should be able to capitalize on minutes with Kanter guarding him, although he’ll have to fight through some physical play.</p>
<p>If Denver orchestrates their offense downhill through Jokic, riding his dominant scoring and hitting shots off his passes, they’ll be well-primed to make Portland sweat. However, if Jokic is bumped, banged and frustrated into anything other than excellence, the Trail Blazers will consider this a success.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/19/denver-nuggets-key-battlegrounds-matchup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Battleground No. 2 </a>
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<img class="wp-image-428966 size-full" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/19/denver-nuggets-key-battlegrounds-matchup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1232600779.jpeg" alt="Denver Nuggets" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1232600779.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1232600779-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Denver Nuggets Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Battleground #2: Portland’s backcourt offense vs. the Denver Nuggets backcourt defense</h2>
<p>Two years ago, the Nuggets struggled with Portland’s backcourt in the conference semifinals, as they held Damian Lillard to 39.6 percent shooting, but surrendered 26.4 points per contest to CJ McCollum (including 37 points in Game 7) and ultimately dropped the series to the Trail Blazers.</p>
<p>While Jamal Murray’s absence stings, the Nuggets backcourt won’t be a complete flop, as they’ve at least stockpiled gritty defenders. These stoppers will make Portland’s backcourt work for their points, potentially impacting the series in a major way.</p>
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<p>Facu Campazzo is a pesky defender whose specialty is irking opponents with a physical brand of basketball, and then proceeding to pick their pockets. Campazzo will likely start at point guard, and will spend the coming days hounding Lillard or McCollum, depending on schemes. He enters the series averaging 2.6 steals per game over the past seven contests.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Austin Rivers has proven himself a solid two-way player who boasts size (6’4″) to go along with his effective scoring and tenacious defense. He’ll likely start alongside Campazzo in the backcourt, and is a strong defensive option against Portland’s guards.</p>
<p>Shaq Harrison was picked up midseason, and has been an exciting defender with ultra-quick hands and a gritty toughness. He probably won’t start, due to an underwhelming offensive game, but should see plenty of bench minutes guarding Portland’s backcourt.</p>
<p>PJ Dozier is perhaps the best defender of the bunch, and Denver will be thrilled if he’s able to return from injury in this series. His height (6’6″) at the guard slot will be helpful in contesting shots from Lillard and McCollum.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/19/denver-nuggets-key-battlegrounds-matchup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Battleground No. 3 </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Denver Nuggets Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Battleground #3: Michael Porter Jr. vs. Portland defenders</h2>
<p>Michael Porter Jr. <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/19/denver-nuggets-key-battlegrounds-matchup/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/05/05/denver-nuggets-michael-porter-jr-3/">stepped up huge in Jamal Murray’s absence</a>, and has seemingly turned the corner in recent months. He’s averaging 22.3 points per contest since the All-Star break while shooting 56.4 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from 3-point range.</p>
<p>Porter’s scoring talent is undeniable, and his volume-efficiency combination has officially earned the Kevin Durant comparison. However, is he ready to take this next step and score at a high volume in an amped-up playoff atmosphere where opposing defense is at peak level? Denver’s success may depend on it.</p>
<p>Murray teamed with Jokic to run a two-man game that proved very effective in crunch time last postseason. Porter and Jokic have integrated a variation of this attack, featuring less actual dribbling and more dribble handoffs, as Porter moves, cuts and shoots around a facilitating Jokic. The effectiveness of this revised two-man game may be pivotal in Denver’s ability to score throughout the series.</p>
<p>Porter’s primary defender will be Robert Covington, a solid 6’7′” wing who’s known for savvy stopping efforts and boasts a career average of 1.6 steals per game. He’s strong enough to affect Porter’s movement, yet Porter (6’11”) may have the height and athleticism to shoot over Covington.</p>
<p>Porter would have benefitted from the Dallas matchup, as Covington is a well-suited defender for him. Nonetheless, Porter has a chance to impact the series by scoring the basketball and overcoming this tough defense.</p>
<p>He truly oozes with talent and has a bright NBA future ahead of him. Will this year’s postseason be another significant step forward, or is he too green to impact a playoff series?</p>
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