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The Denver Nuggets won Game 1 of their first-round playoff series vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, but popular NBA personality Bill Simmons voiced some concern for the Nuggets moving forward in the series.
Although Denver hung on to defeat the Clippers 112-110 in overtime of a tense Game 1, Simmons did not seem confident in the Nuggets' chances the rest of the way.
“If I’m a Denver fan, I can’t believe I won that game, and I’m already f—ing nervous as hell for the series. And I think that’s why the line didn’t really budge,” Simmons told Ryen Russillo on the Bill Simmons Podcast. “You had [Michael] Porter [Jr.], who was a section eight, who basically got benched for Russell Westbrook, who was a big piece in the coach-GM drama where both guys ended up getting fired, and who is just a complete roller coaster ride possession to possession. And [Westbrook] was a better option than Michael Porter, who makes $40 million a year — he’s out there. Then you have [Jamal] Murray, who was 7-for-20, and it felt worse. And the Clippers just have a bunch of f—-ing dudes to throw at him.”
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Simmons continued to explain that the uncertainty of Porter and Murray's production is a major factor in his fear for the Nuggets, who have dealt with the highs and lows of their supporting cast over the past few postseasons. In particular, Murray's standout performances in 2023 helped the Nuggets win a championship, but last year, Murray's postseason woes were a big part of the team's falling short of a repeat.
Despite being an invaluable piece when healthy and playing well, Porter has struggled to remain consistent in the postseason throughout his career. Porter hit a slump during the 2023 playoffs, which was fortunately negated in large part by the incredible play of Murray and Nikola Jokic, as well as some of the other Nuggets role players. Last postseason, Porter's shot was incredible — until it wasn't.
After making 29 of 60 3-point attempts through the first eight games of the playoffs, Porter went ice cold over the final four games of the Western Conference semifinals vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves. To finish the series, Porter averaged 6.3 points per game, missed 17 of his 21 3-point attempts, shot 28.6% from the field, and visited the free-throw line just once.
If the Nuggets have a chance to beat the Clippers and make a run again in the playoffs, they will certainly need Porter to step up his game after a 3-point, 4-rebound showing in Game 1.
