NIKOLA Jokic had 25 points, 19 rebounds and six assists, Paul Millsap scored 24 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-98 in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Tuesday night.
Denver, which took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, also got 18 points and nine assists from Jamal Murray. Gary Harris finished with 16 points, and Malik Beasley and Will Barton scored 10 points apiece.
Game 6 is Friday in Portland, where the Nuggets won Sunday in Game 4 to take back home-court advantage. Game 7, if necessary would be played Sunday in Denver. One more win by the Nuggets would put them in their fourth Western Conference finals and first in 10 years.
Damian Lillard scored 22 points for Portland, who face an elimination game for the first time in this year’s playoffs. Rodney Hood and Zach Collins scored 14 points each, and CJ McCollum added 12 points.
The Nuggets never trailed, led by as many as 31 and outscored Portland 62-40 in the second and third quarters.
Millsap hit a floater in the lane and Will Barton made two 3-pointers an 8-0 run to start the second quarter, extending Denver’s lead to 14. Lillard hit a 3-pointer to get the Blazers back within 43-36 midway through the period.
Murray hit two reverse layups and a 3-pointer to push the lead to 61-43. After two free throws by Lillard, Millsap was fouled on a 3-pointer and hit the free throw to convert the four-point play with 15.1 seconds before halftime. — Reuters
