Before Jamal Murray’s brilliant shot-making and Aaron Gordon’s clutch shooting, there was Michael Porter Jr.’s hot start.
Sprained shoulder at all, Porter Jr. powered through and delivered his best game of this year’s playoff by far for the Nuggets.
The 26-year-old was one of the four Denver players who scored 20 points or more in a hard-fought 113-104 overtime win against the OKC Thunder in Game 3.
[ALSO READ: Nuggets regain control of series vs Thunder with gritty Game 3 overtime win]
That meant the Nuggets regained the upper hand anew at 2-1 against the league’s top regular season team in their West second-round play. Game 4 is set on Tuesday (PH time), May 13 with Denver eyeing a commanding 3-1 series lead.
“I’ve been able to do what I can and tonight, some shots went down for me and it felt good,” Porter Jr. told reporters in the post-game press conference.
MPJ caught fire early and had 15 first-half points before ending up with 21 markers on top of eight rebounds and five threes in 42 minutes. In Games 1 and 2, he just totalled 10 points.
"It’s been an up and down playoffs for me, but that’s OK, because we’re in a good position as a team," MPJ admitted.
Murray topscored the Nuggets with 27 points, including 16 in the second half, while Gordon — who tallied 22 markers — hit a corner triple to tie the game at 102-apiece and forced the extra five minutes.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists but shot just 8-for-25 including missing all 10 of his three-point attempts.
“It was so close, we just had to hang in there. Once we got it overtime, we knew we had the momentum,” Porter Jr. admitted.
Denver did, and the 2023 champions dominated that period after scoring the first seven points and allowing just one OKC basket en route to a third straight home playoff win.
But all of it wouldn’t be possible if not for Porter Jr.’s early offense that kept the Nuggets afloat in the first half.
“It’s really good to see Mike make big shots. I’m really proud of him. The guy’s getting treatment everyday and he’s just trying to stay alive in this thing,” Denver interim coach David Adelman said.
Denver head coach David Adelman praises Michael Porter Jr. postgame for carrying over confidence from the end of Game 2 into tonight!
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2025
MPJ in a Game 3 OT win:
💪 21 points
💪 8 rebounds
💪 7-10 from the floor, 5-6 from downtown
"People don’t understand or know what he [MPJ] plays through or how much he’s played through his whole career,” Murray commented.
“It’s a testament to his resilience and love for the game. And his will to win as well,” he continued.
