National Basketball Association

Denver Nuggets Cruise Past the Portland Trail Blazers to Snag 3rd Win

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:12 p.m. ET

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Oct 16, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton (5) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) and guard Damian Lillard (0) during the first quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets overcome a poor start to the game to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 106-97.

The Nuggets beat the Blazers as their overall depth was far better than the depth of the Blazers as the Nuggets cruised past the Blazers with an overall strong performance from the entire team. Both the starters and the bench unit outplayed the Blazers.

The Nuggets started the game struggling on the defensive end allowing the Blazers to hit seven of their first ten three point shots, but as the game progressed, their defense sharpened. After trailing by 8 points after the first quarter, the Nuggets outscored the Blazers 80-63 in the final three quarters.

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The overall play from the entire team was solid as no player played bad and multiple of them played good. Nurkic almost had yet another double-double, Chandler scored 18, Barton scored 17, and Murray added 15.

Oct 16, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) and Portland Trail Blazers forward Mason Plumlee (24) fight for a rebound during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Rooks

All 3 of the Nuggets rookies played and both Jamal Murray and Juancho Hernangomez played very well, while Malik Beasley didn’t play much.

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Murray led the 3 rookies with 15 points as well as 7 boards, and 3 assists and steals. Murray also finished with an astonishing +21. Hernangomez struggled shooting, but still showed flashes of potential with his play. He finished with 7 points and a +10, which was second on the team. Beasley didn’t play many minutes, but he did put up 5 points.

The Vets

The veterans led the way for the Nuggets as all of them played good games. Faried played with incredible energy and if it continues into the season, it will be looking good for the Nuggets. The “Jurkic” combination also played very solid besides letting up some threes. Nelson, Chandler, and Barton put up points in bunches to round it out and helped guide the Nuggets to a .500 record through 6 games of preseason play.

Conclusion

The Nuggets played a very solid game and cruised along to win the game 106-97. They played good on both sides of the ball which led them to a win against a very good team in the Blazers.

If the Nuggets remain consistent and continue this success into the season, it should be fun to watch.

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