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The Denver Nuggets failed to close out their first-round series Thursday night, falling 111-105 to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 and forcing a decisive Game 7 at Ball Arena. Among the most glaring numbers from the loss was a jarring plus/minus stat tied to Michael Porter Jr., whose inconsistent postseason play has become a growing concern for Denver.
After playing a key role in the Nuggets’ Game 5 win with a team-best +34, Porter registered a game-worst -24 in Game 6, despite no other Denver player finishing worse than -6. Bennett Durando of The Denver Post highlighted the swing on X, formerly known as Twitter, calling it “one of the craziest two-game roller coasters you’ll ever see.”
Porter struggled to find rhythm offensively, ending the night with just five points, three rebounds, two steals, and a block while shooting 2-for-5 from the field in 24 minutes. The only Nugget with a worse plus/minus was DeAndre Jordan at -6, who played just three minutes.
Michael Porter Jr.’s up-and-down series highlights pressure on Nuggets
This performance continues a pattern of fluctuation for Porter throughout the series. He opened the playoffs with just three points and four rebounds in Game 1, shooting 1-for-4 from the field. In Game 3, he posted seven points, six rebounds, and one assist while shooting 2-for-9 overall and just 1-for-6 from three-point range.
Porter has also shown flashes of his offensive potential. In Game 2, he tallied 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, adding an assist and a steal on 6-of-11 shooting. He followed up with another efficient showing in Game 4, posting 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists while knocking down 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Despite the up-and-down nature of his performances, Porter remains a vital part of the Nuggets’ playoff rotation. Across six games in the series, he is averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field and an impressive 46.2% from three-point range over 33.2 minutes.
Still, his defensive lapses and on-court inconsistency have come at inopportune times for a Denver team seeking to return to championship form. As the Nuggets head back to Denver for Game 7 on Saturday night, the spotlight will be on Porter to deliver under pressure.
Tip-off for Game 7 is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT, with the winner advancing to the second round of the NBA Playoffs to face the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder, who finished the regular season with an NBA-best 68-14 record, swept their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
