‘You just gotta keep going’
MPJ maintains focus amid tragedy
NBA CLEVELAND >>
About 10 minutes after the Nuggets knocked off the Cavaliers, a loud, annoying chant came seeping out of the victorious locker room.
“Mike, Mike, Mike,” the Nuggets’ players repeated in an adoring yet teasing fashion. Paying homage to the movie “Finding Nemo,” Denver’s players have started repeating the call each time Michael Porter Jr. has a strong night.
“I don’t know when it came back, but it just started coming back,” Porter said. “It’s dope.”
Porter’s teammates were razzing him after he scored a teamhigh 25 points on six 3-pointers in Denver’s rousing 115-109 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday. With 2:15 left in the fourth quarter and the Nuggets clinging to a two-point lead, Nikola Jokic got the ball in the post, drew a double-team and rifled the ball to Kentavious Caldwell-pope. The veteran skipped the ball to Porter who was waiting on the wing for an uncontested look.
“Textbook offensive possession,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Porter raised his hot hand as he hopped back to the defensive end of the court, having buried the jumper to all but seal the win. Earlier in the game, Porter was on the receiving end of one of Jokic’s blind swivel passes to the corner. He buried it while the Cavs scrambled in bewilderment.
With his teammates’ support, Porter has managed to thrive on the court while coping with unimaginable tragedy off it. His brother, Coban, was charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal crash that occurred in late January. Since then, Porter has