Blazers' Rodney Hood 'was the MVP' of Game 6, says Denver coach Michael Malone
Friday 10 May 2019 11:30, UK
Denver head coach Michael Malone praised Portland reserve guard Rodney Hood as the "MVP of the game" as the Blazers beat the Nuggets 119-108 to send the series to a winner-takes-all seventh game.
Hood came off the Blazers bench to score 25 vital points to help Portland level the series at three games apiece. Game 7 takes place at Denver's Pepsi Center on Sunday night.
Hood hit eight of his 12 shots, including two key hoops, early in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets threatened a late-game rally. His 25-point haul enabled Portland's reserves to dominate the Denver bench 42-13.
Beaten Nuggets coach Malone said: "As well as Damian [Lillard] played, you can't speak enough about Rodney Hood. Not just the impact he had tonight, but the impact he has had through the whole series.
"Rodney has been playing exceptionally, getting to his mid-range jumper, hitting threes. I think Rodney Hood was the MVP of the game. He had a huge impact on the game throughout all four quarters."
"I was just trying to pick my spots where I could take some pressure off Damian and CJ," Hood said. "It's working out right now."
Hood's team-mate CJ McCollum, who scored 30 points in the Game 6, echoed Malone's praise of Hood.
"He has probably been our most consistent player over the course of this series," the Blazers shooting guard said. "In all six games, he's had a good game."
The Blazers also received a decisive contribution from their All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who recorded his 15th 30+ point playoff performance of his career, pouring in a game-high 32 points on 11-of-23 shooting.
"Game on the line, series on the line, that's when great players rise to the occasion," McCollum said of Lillard. "He understood what was at stake and knocked down some big shots.
Malone expected nothing less from the Blazers star, but felt his Nuggets team could have done a better job defending Lillard.
"Damian knows this is win-or-go-home," he said. "You know what kind of mindset a great player like him is going to come out with. There was definitely a combination of him knowing 'what time it is' and us not being as engaged defensively as we needed to be."
"My job was to stay aggressive and keep doing what I do," Lillard said. "Tonight, shots fell."
Game 7 takes place in Denver on Sunday night.
