Tuesday 30 April 2019 07:45, UK
Nikola Jokic scored 37 points to propel the Denver Nuggets to a 121-113 Game 1 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in their Western Conference semi-final series.
Damian Lillard had 39 points, Enes Kanter scored 26 and Rodney Hood added 17 off the bench for Portland. The Trail Blazers were playing for the first time since eliminating the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 23.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Wednesday in Denver.
The Nuggets led most of the way and by as many as 13 in the second half. Malik Beasley hit two three-pointers and Paul Millsap, who scored 19 points, sank a jumper to give Denver a 101-89 lead with 10:19 to go.
Seth Curry answered with a three-pointer and Lillard hit a jumper and a lay-up to get the Blazers within five with 8:57 left.
The Nuggets came right back. After a dunk by Denver's Mason Plumlee, Portland's CJ McCollum (16 points) was called for a flagrant-1 foul on Jokic, and the Serbian center hit both free throws. Plumlee subsequently followed a Beasley miss with a dunk, and Beasley followed his own miss with a dunk for a 107-96 lead with 7:23 left.
Portland never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
Denver led by three at half-time and increased it to 11 in the first few minutes of the third quarter. Jokic hit a triple, Jamal Murray - who added 23 points and eight assists - made a 3ft floater and Torrey Craig sank another three-pointer after Jokic's offensive rebound and pass to the perimeter.
After each team made two free throws, Murray drained another trey to give the Nuggets a 78-67 lead.
The Trail Blazers cut it to six on Meyers Leonard's three-pointer, but Denver took a 93-84 lead into the fourth quarter.
The game was close throughout the first half, with neither team leading by more than six points. Lillard led Portland with 15 and Kanter had 15 in the half.
Millsap scored 17 points and Jokic hit 6-of-8 shots and scored 14 in the first half.
Kanter played with an injured left shoulder but finished 11-for-14 from the field.
Game 2 takes place in Denver in the early hours of Thursday morning (2am), live on Sky Sports Arena.
