The Denver Nuggets traveled to Brooklyn to challenge an old friend Sunday afternoon. Michael Porter Jr. returned from an illness to lead the Nets against his former team, and he wasn’t the only notable player returning to action.
For Denver, Christian Braun returned to the starting lineup after a lengthy absence due to a gnarly ankle sprain. And Aaron Gordon returned from his hamstring strain as well. Gordon checked in off the bench. Both players were on a minutes restriction.
The Nuggets stumbled out of the gate against an aggressive defense and never found their footing. The starters played arrhythmic basketball while the Nets dominated with MPJ on the floor.
Final score: 127-115
Nets Smother Murray in the First Half
The Nets pulled out all the stops, pressuring Murray full court, blitzing the ball screens, and sending late help in isolation. Unlike Cleveland, the Nets deployed their strategy from the opening jump, so the Nuggets tasked Peyton Watson with bringing the ball up the floor instead.
Murray struggled initially, turning it over twice in the first quarter and missing both of his field goal attempts. He turned it over twice again in the second quarter. He did record eight assists before halftime, but the Nets were clearly comfortable with the strategy. One way or another, they forced the ball out of his hands.
Murray continued to rack up assists, setting a new career high with 16. And eventually, he adjusted as a scorer — attacking earlier, when possible, before help arrived. But Brooklyn’s strategy prevented Denver’s starters from finding any flow.
Nets Roll With Porter on the Floor
Porter Jr. is relishing the opportunity to show what he can do in an expanded role — especially against the organization that drafted him.
He put his growth on display, getting himself to the line, feasting on the boards, and making more decisive reads than he did in Denver. He filled up the stat sheet in the first half, finishing with 16-7-3. The Nets went +16 in his minutes.
That dynamic would only worsen as the game went on. He never put a true Porter Quarter together, but the Nets cruised while he was out there. He finished with 27-11-5 and Brooklyn won his minutes by 22 points.
Tim Hardaway Jr. And Gordon Provide Firepower off the Bench
With Christian Braun back in the starting lineup, Tim Hardaway Jr. returned to a second unit that also featured Gordon. Those two provided the firepower as the bench kept Denver in the game. Gordon scored 13 points in twelve minutes and twenty-nine seconds of first-half action. He took advantage of undersized opposition and repeatedly bulldozed his way to the rim.
Meanwhile, Hardaway Jr. did what he does best — microwave scoring. He shot 3-of-3 from deep in the first and drew a foul on another three-point attempt. He led all Nuggets with 15 points at the half.
Those two finished as Denver’s second and third leading scorers, but it was ultimately futile resistance in a blowout loss.
