The Nuggets have a chance to get one step closer to their first Western Conference Finals since 2009 when they host the Trail Blazers at Pepsi Center on Tuesday night.
Denver regained home court advantage after a gritty 116-112 win in Portland on Sunday night. Game 4 was particularly memorable due to Jamal Murray’s 34-point outburst. The young rising guard put a national audience on notice, hitting incredible shots in the first quarter and remaining calm to ice eight free throws in the final 12 minutes of the game. The game also saw top level performances from Nikola Jokić, who had a triple-double, and Paul Millsap, who scored an efficient 21 points on 6 of 10 shooting. It was arguably the Nuggets’ best offensive performance in the Western Conference semifinals as the team shot 44.0 percent from downtown in the game.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone hopes his team will build on its Game 4 performance and show an increased level of urgency in the remaining games of the series.
“It’s dire,” Malone said on Monday’s conference call. “It’s the best of three games and we’ve taken homecourt advantage back. We don’t want to do all of that work to allow them to come in and win Game 5 and then have a chance to close it on Game 6 back in Portland.”
Here are three keys ahead of Game 5:
Blue Arrow restocked
Murray has gone toe-to-toe with Portland superstar Damian Lillard and for most of the series, the 22-year-old has more than matched the production of his counterpart.
Murray is averaging 26.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.8 steals on 45.1 percent shooting while Lillard is putting up 27.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds on 42.3 percent shooting. Interestingly enough, when Murray scores 20 or more points in the postseason, the Nuggets are 6-1. If he can remain consistent in that area, it could be the difference in not only Game 5, but the entire series.
“I think Jamal is showing a lot of growth. He’s got 11 playoff games under his belt now and you see a lot more confident, a lot more consistent Jamal Murray as of late,” Malone said. “In that Spurs series, in our four wins, he was phenomenal. In our three losses, he struggled a little bit. In this series, he’s been really, really good for us.”
Win the turnover battle
In Denver’s two wins, the team pressured Portland into 16 giveaways a game while only turning the ball over 10 times. The Nuggets were able to convert those turnovers in 23 and 18 points respectively. Alternatively, in both of Denver’s losses, the Trail Blazers either won the turnover battle (like Game 3) or only had one more turnover than their counterparts. In order to secure Game 5, the Nuggets have to continue to force the visitors into poor decisions and gain transition opportunities.
If there’s one underrated aspect of the Nuggets’ play in the semifinals, it’s been their ability to read the play and get steals. Surprisingly enough, the frontcourt has been a major factor as Jokić is averaging 1.8 takeaways a game, while Millsap is averaging 1.5.
Keep Thrilling
After struggling in the first round, Will Barton has had a resurgence in the second – especially in Games 3 and 4.
The veteran forward is averaging 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals while hitting 40 percent in that span. Despite shooting 28.6 percent on Sunday, the Nuggets don’t pull out a win in Game 4 without Barton’s two timely threes at the end of the fourth quarter.
Barton has also been an impact player on the defensive side of the ball. Although Denver lost in Game 3, the team wouldn’t have extended the game for as long as it did if it wasn’t for Barton’s three blocks that came in the fourth quarter and overtimes. The team will need more of the same on Tuesday if it wants to take a 3-2 lead in the series.