The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers series is going to be a fun one throughout. These two teams match up well against each other which makes for thrilling basketball. Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers lit it up on Saturday night and stole game one away from Denver.
Denver played tough throughout the game but Portland pulled away in the second half. It was an impressive performance from Lillard who totaled 34 points and 13 assists, leading his team to victory. With Jamal Murray out, Denver doesn't have the backcourt necessary to compete with Lillard, so they'll have to find another way to even the series in game two.
Nuggets vs. Blazers: 3 adjustments Denver must make
There were a few concerns the Nuggets must address if they hope to win the next game. They couldn't get to the free-throw line, the perimeter defense was non-existent, and Jusuf Nurkic proved to be the X-Factor Portland needed. With that said, here are three adjustments the Nuggets must make after losing game one to the Trail Blazers.
1. Nuggets need to draw more fouls
Don't let Jamal Murray complaining about the calls fool you. Portland did an amazing job of staying out of foul trouble against the Nuggets in this game. Denver only shot eight free-throw attempts and only made four of them. Just a pitiful effort that didn't help the Nuggets in any way. If Denver plans to equalize the series they have to more aggressive in game two.
Shooting 50% from the line is never a good look and it's even worse if you shoot just eight times as a team. Denver settled for bad three-point attempts rather than playing to their strengths, which resulted in a lack of free-throw attempts. Look for Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon to try and draw more fouls in game two.
2. Improve the perimeter defense
Portland was on fire from deep on Saturday night which resulted in them taking over the second half. In fact, the Trail Blazers looked to be at their best and if they continue playing like that they could find themselves making a deep run in the postseason this year.
Denver has to find a way to slow down Portland's three-point shooting. A task much easier said than done, but it will give them their best chances of winning this series. Perhaps playing zone defense to cover the perimeter is the answer, as leaving the Trail Blazers shooters open plays into their strength.
3. Lock down Jusuf Nurkic
Jusuf Nurkic balled out in the final minutes of the game on Saturday night. He's not a premier scorer like Nikola Jokic, but he holds his own in the paint. There were times where Jokic seemed hesitant to get in front of Nurkic. The Blazers' star center also fought for the ball and secured second-chance points for his team.
Taking away that inside threat is an underrated, yet, effective strategy. Sure, Portland's offense thrives in the backcourt, but completely shutting down the frontcourt could cause problems for the Trail Blazers. One way to do that is to get Nurkic into foul trouble and force Portland to play Enes Kanter. The Blazers' backup center struggled when he was on the court, only managing four rebounds and two points. Removing Nurkic from the equation should improve Denver's chances of succeeding.
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