Michael Porter Jr.’s perfect night sweeps Lakers
The Denver Nuggets needed a perfect game to get past the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night. They got one from Michael Porter Jr.
Porter scored 25 points, grabbed 10 boards and made all 10 of his shots from the field as his Nuggets beat the Lakers, 124-114. 10 months after sweeping Los Angeles in the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets swept the season series with their third win over the Lakers.
It wasn’t a simple diet of shots for Porter either. He hit five three-pointers and five other shots between 14 and 20 feet.
With Nikola Jokic scoring 35 points on 16-25 shooting, Porter’s hot shooting made things impossible for the Lakers defense. After a strong first half, Denver outscored Los Angeles 66-48 in the second half, closing on a 16-4 run.
Porter didn’t score in that stretch, but he made a huge defensive play, blocking Anthony Davis with the Nuggets holding onto a five-point lead.
Jokic seemingly predicted Porter’s perfect night after MPJ put up thirty in a win over the Miami Heat.
“Whenever he takes a shot, I think it’s going in,” he told reporters.
After Saturday night, the Lakers agree with him.
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