PORTLAND — The game was getting away from the Nuggets in the third quarter. Thanks to some more cold shooting on par with Denver’s Game 2 performance, the Trail Blazers stretched their to as many as 10 points.
Then Nikola Jokic took over.
Denver’s star big man started to cook immediately out of a timeout. He had it going inside and out, and by the time the third quarter was over, he’d scored 17 points. Jokic shook off a slow start to finish with another playoff masterpiece — the latest one a 33-point, 18-rebound, 14-assist performance — as Denver fought back from 10 down. Cruelly, though, Jokic, who played 65 minutes, was the goat as he went 1 of 2 at the free throw line late in the fourth overtime that could’ve tied the game as the Nuggets lost 140-137 in Game 3.
As the series shifted to Portland, Denver relied on Jokic and Jamal Murray to carry the scoring load. Murray caught fire in the second quarter, when he scored 12 of his 34 points. Murray also hit some huge shots down the stretch. His stepback 3 with under two minutes in regulation pushed Denver’s lead to five.
With the game knotted at 100 with a minute to go, Will Barton fumbled the ball out of bounds. Damian Lillard responded with a driving layup. On the Nuggets’ next possession, Jokic fed Barton for a layup to tie the game at 102.
In overtime, Paul Millsap hit a driving layup to give the Nuggets a 109-107 advantage, but once again, they couldn’t put the game away. They failed to get a shot off with a chance to make it a two-possession game. With 8.7 seconds to go and the game tied, they got the ball back but couldn’t convert.
In the second overtime, the Trail Blazers had a chance to win it after an iffy jump ball call but couldn’t cash in. They appeared to seize control in the third but OT, but the Nuggets, like they did all season, fought back from five down to force a fouth overtime.
In the final extra five-minute quarter, Millsap hit a go-ahead runner to give Denver a one-point lead with 27.6 seconds to go. Rodney Hood, however, responded with a 3. Jokic had a chance to tie, but he missed his first free throw attempt. Denver had to foul, and Seth Curry knocked down both free throws. Denver’s last-gasp effort failed.
The Nuggets will have to recover from Friday’s extra-hour slugfest quickly. Game 4 is Sunday in Portland.
