After playing each other on the final day of the regular season, the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets drew a matchup against each other once again in the first-round of the Western Conference Playoffs.
In Game 1 played Saturday night, Portland looked just as strong as they did in their season finale against Denver and ultimately were able to hold on and win 123-109 in Denver. This was a big win for the 6-seeded Portland Trail Blazers not only because now they control the series, but because this season has been very shaky for them.
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At points in the regular season, Portland looked like a team that did not have a chance to advance past the first-round of the playoffs, but as of late, they have been one of the hottest teams in the league because they are actually getting things done on the defensive-end of the court.
Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. were great scoring-wise for the Nuggets, but the loss of Jamal Murray really showed in Game 1 of this series.
With Game 2 scheduled to be played on Monday night, let’s dive in and take a look at the three biggest takeaways from Game 1 between the Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers.
