Rivers defends Lillard in NBA thriller

Larkin leads team to EuroLeague title

Winter Park’s Austin Rivers had 18 points and seven rebounds on Tuesday and every point mattered for the Denver Nuggets in their wild 147-140 double-overtime win against Portland in an NBA first round playoff series.

That’s because Trailblazers superstar Damian Lillard recorded the first 55-point, 10-assist game in NBA postseason history in a losing cause. Rivers played major minutes in place of injured Jamal Murray and defended Lillard much of the way. He saw his adversary set another playoff record by making 12 3-point shots and making 17 of his 24 field goal attempts.

“Bro. … he was not missing. …” Rivers stated on Instagram. “In all seriousness, it’s really fun to guard him. He’s as tough as they come. No lie.”

Denver took a 3-2 series lead with the victory. Game 6 is Thursday night at 8 in Portland on TNT.

Murray is done for the season due to a knee injury, which upgrades Rivers’ importance for the Nuggets. He played minutes on Tuesday night. The sixth-year pro guard made five 3-point shots and scored 21 points in a Game 3 victory last Thursday.

Portland’s roster includes

former Edgewater High standout Anfernee Simons, a third-year NBA guard. He played 15 minutes and finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist on Tuesday.

Simons scored 14 points while making four of his five 3-point shot attempts in Portland’s Game 1 victory.

Larkin a champ: Overseas basketball sensation Shane Larkin, a Dr. Phillips alum, led his Turkish pro basketball team, Anadolu Efes, to the EuroLeague championship last weekend.

Larkin scored 21 points as Efes defeated FC Barcelona of Spain 86-81 in the title game. He played four years

in the NBA (2012-18) before heading to Europe.

The Barcelona roster included former Lake Howell and UF guard Nick Calathes and longtime NBA player Pau Gasol.

Calathes suffered an ankle injury in a semifinal victory and played limited minutes in the championship game

loss.

He has played 11 seasons in Europe and spent two years with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA.

JOE MAHONEY/AP Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers, of Winter Park, back, has his hands full in defending Portland Trail Blazers scoring machine Damian Lillard, right, in an NBA first-round playoff series that goes to Game 6 on Thursday night.