Nuggets survive late jumper, win 5th in a row

PORTL A ND, ORE.» Nikola Jokic saved the pleasantries for pregame.

It was then, a little more than an hour before tipoff that he and Portland big man Jusuf Nurkic shared a laugh near midcourt.

Jokic largely played his former teammate even, but the Nuggets prevailed, outlasting the Trail Blazers 113-112 for their fifth win in a row. C.J. McCollum’s missed jumper at the buzzer improved the Nuggets’ record to 15-7 overall.

Tied at 110 with 16 seconds left, Jokic pumped faked, drove and found Gary Harris in the corner for a clutch 3-pointer. Moments later, up by one, after surviving one out of bounds review, Jamal Murray stepped out for a costly turnover that gave the Blazers a chance.

Jurkic, who was traded in 2017 along with a first-round pick for Mason Plumlee, had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Nuggets were up 107-101 with two minutes remaining before Paul Millsap fouled McCollum on a 3-pointer, and the Blazers’ guard knocked down all three of his free throws. A goaltending call against Mason Plumlee cut it to two before McCollum nailed a runner in the lane to tie it at 108. He tied it again soon after with a darting through the lane and finished with a game-high 33.

The Nuggets survived with 27 points from Harris, 22 from Paul Millsap and 16 points on 7 for 8 shooting from Monte Morris. Jokic added 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

The Blazers cut it to 96-93 when Seth Curry ripped a rebound away from Malik Beasley for an easy layup with 8:08 left and the Nuggets reeling. Denver’s backup point guard Morris buried two clutch jumpers, one from the elbow and another from the 3-point line to momentarily give the Nuggets some breathing room.

Damian Lillard, who had 15 on just 6 of 16 shooting, drilled a 3pointer late in the third quarter that cut the deficit to 3 and had the Moda crowd roaring, but Trey Lyles answered with one of his own from a few steps behind the 3-point line. Momentum had started to shift as Lillard softened up the lane and the Blazers attacked the paint, outscoring the Nuggets 32-23.

At one point late in the third Jokic, who’s routinely criticized for his slow feet and plodding defense, swatted Nurkic on a layup attempt in an effort to stem the run.

The Nuggets entered Friday with the NBA’s third-ranked defense after their last three wins all came by holding their opponent to under 100 points. They’ve limited opponents to under 100 nine teams this season overall, which is tied with Memphis for the most in the league.

“Defensively, they’ve been as good as they’ve been in the last few years,” said Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts.