Early in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's Game 5 contest between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the home side was down double digits and facing the prospect of heading back to Oklahoma City for Game 6.
Luckily for the Blazers, they had one heck of a cheerleader on their bench in the form of the sidelined Jusuf Nurkic, who showed up on the bench in the fourth quarter to a rousing ovation. Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard acknowledged the importance of his teammate's presence on the bench, stating that Nurkic provided the team with some much-needed motivation:
“He gave us a nice punch,” Lillard said with a smile, via Jason Quick of The Athletic.
Nurkic suffered a season-ending leg injury just weeks prior to the start of the postseason, and it was definitely a big blow for the Blazers. The 24-year-old big man was having a career year (15.6 points on 50.8 percent shooting, 10.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game) and proved to be a pivotal piece in Portland's rotation.
Losing such an important player so late in the season was a terrible development for the Blazers, and in fact, there were some who believed that this injury would result in another early postseason exit for the side. However, this would not be the case, as the Blazers made quick work of a feisty Thunder side.
Lillard and company went on a furious run in the fourth quarter — which was highlighted by his tremendous game-winner — and Nurkic played his part for his team despite not being able to take the floor.
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