Game 2 between the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets saw tensions flare throughout the night, with the officials losing control of the game in an ugly third quarter marred by 18 fouls. The Blazers suffered a 128-109 loss to even the series at 1-1 as it shifts to Portland, but they're not going to back down when presented with a challenge and chippy play.
Both CJ McCollum and Norman Powell made it a point to send a message to the Nuggets that they're not going to take any crap. Via Jason Quick of The Athletic:
“We ain’t got no suckas on our roster,” CJ McCollum said. “And we not really going for a lot of stuff. I think they have a lot of players who play hard and do a lot of those same things. So, I enjoy it. I don’t mind it. It’s just part of the playoffs.”
“Their bench was talking all night, and we are a team that are no punks,” Blazers guard Norman Powell said. “We are not going to back down to nobody … you are going to have to earn everything. But they were the more physical team, and it showed.”
Monday's Game 2 featured 58 free throws, 52 fouls, four technical fouls and two flagrant fouls. That eventful third quarter had little flow as there were seemingly whistles almost every time down the court.
After two games, it certainly looks like this is going to be a long series, and the tensions will only grow the longer it goes. The Blazers controlled Game 1, only to see the Nuggets do the same in Game 2 behind a monster performance from Nikola Jokic.
This is one of the more intriguing first-round series, and it's always fun to see the intensity rise in the postseason. It would be nice to see the officials get a better grip, though, and not have games turn into a ref show.
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