Denver needs to continue turning to their guards for production

Jamal Murray may not be on the floor for Denver in the playoffs, but they have had plenty of guys step up in his absence so far in this series. Austin Rivers, Facundo Campazzo and Monte Morris have all been good in their own ways this series and were the biggest reason why Denver won Game 3. 

Game 3 was the “Austin Rivers Game” for Denver as the veteran guard finished with 21 points on 5-10 shooting from three-point range. 16 of his total 21 points came in the fourth quarter, which was huge for the Nuggets seeing as Portland made four threes in the final minute of the game. 

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As for Facundo Campazzo, he had yet another impressive performance, scoring 11 points and adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists to his name as well. Campazzo is now averaging 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.3 steals this series, making him one of the most impactful players on the court for Denver. 

Monte Morris has also been just as impactful for the Nuggets and scored 8 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in 25 minutes off-the-bench for the Nuggets in Game 3. All three guards for Denver have been great for them in this series and are the keys for them moving forward. 

Since Jamal Murray went down with his knee injury, Denver has had the mindset of “next man up” in their backcourt and all three of these guys have played great together and have played off one another’s success. Nikola Jokic and Michae Porter Jr. cannot do it all for this team, which is why getting production from guys like Austin Rivers, Facundo Campazzo and Monte Morris is huge moving forward for Denver.