He didn’t take bad shots. He didn’t do anything egregious. He mostly did his job. The ball just rarely found him.
Michael Porter Jr. finished the Denver Nuggets Game 1 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on the bench, scoring just three points on 1-of-4 from the field in 26 minutes of game time. Those three points occurred on the first Nuggets possession of the game, a great example of spacing for Nikola Jokic to do what he does best: find the open man.
Sound on for Ball’s reaction to the first bucket pic.twitter.com/rdTr1tq9No
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 19, 2025
As Porter relocated, the Clippers were forced to double Jokic in the post, who then read the floor correctly and set up Porter for his only points of the game.
From then on, it got much more difficult for Porter to get open against a Clippers defense that knew exactly what it wanted to do to prevent his scoring. He attempted just three more shots in the next 25 minutes, finding it difficult to free up from Kawhi Leonard for most of that matchup. It was reminiscent of the Porter struggles against Jaden McDaniels last year, closing off Porter’s air space and preventing him from gaining any comfort level when trying to find shot attempts.
He struggled a fair amount on both ends of the floor, so the Nuggets decided to go with Russell Westbrook to close the game instead. While Westbrook wasn’t perfect, he hit a clutch three and made big defensive plays. It turned out to be the right decision by Denver to go with a more defensive, more versatile option.
“When I had a chance, I talked to Mike, and I was trying to be communicative about what my thoughts were, how I thought he could get back into the game,” interim head coach David Adelman shared when asked about Porter not playing in crunch time. “I’m going to say it again. Like I said last week, if Mike comes out, and he plays and he’s engaged defensively, and he’s knocking down shots, Michael will be out there.”
Adelman coached his very first playoff game yesterday as the lead decision maker. He made a call, and it absolutely turned out to be the correct call. The Nuggets needed to be connected on the defensive end, and it’s simply easier for them to cover for each other with someone that’s a bit more agile and reads the floor quicker like Westbrook. In what was a defensive slugfest kind of game, Porter wasn’t the right option for that.
“I think teams are preparing for him,” Nikola Jokic shared of Porter and the difficulties he faced making an impact offensively. “It’s really hard when someone is preparing for you. We definitely can find him a few more looks…if that happens [again] though, you need to sacrifice. I think the goal is to win a game. It’s not about minutes and about shots. It’s about supporting your team.”
Jokic continued: “If you’re not going to be engaged right now, then you’re not supposed to be playing this sport.”
Harsh words, but fair. Porter has to stay involved for his team, even if he struggles individually.
If the Clippers are going to use Kawhi Leonard to guard Michael Porter Jr., that should be a good thing for Denver. They should be using that to their advantage as much as possible, removing one of the better defenders in NBA history from the primary action and allowing Denver’s other players to shine instead. If the Clippers believe so much in Porter’s shotmaking that they’re willing to do that, it’s a win. When it starts to become more challenging is if the Clippers are consistently hiding James Harden and Norman Powell on Porter without any punishment for that. It’s understandable if Porter struggles to make an impact scoring while Kawhi is on him, but the moment it’s no longer Kawhi (or another elite defender) is when Porter should be getting more aggressive.
On the other end of the floor, players like Harden, Powell, and Leonard are going to keep attacking Porter. He was fine defensively, but as the Clippers continue to identify ways they can go at Denver, it will surely involved adding Porter into certain actions. Harden didn’t go at Porter as hard in Game 1 as he will in Game 2, you best believe. If Porter wants to prove he can be a part of this series, it will involve playing with exceptional energy, attacking the glass, and working hard defensively without fouling.
Porter CAN do this. The Clippers are tough, but Porter has shown he’s tough too. There’s a reason he’s still playing basketball despite three back surgeries and being described to me as a “medical miracle” in some circles. Porter has fought through worse than a tough defense, and if he’s willing to keep working and apply the right game plan, there’s no reason why he can’t bounce back and have a positive impact as the Nuggets continue moving forward.
The playoffs are all about finding ways to win games no matter the circumstance. Yesterday was a defensive grind. The future is unknown. If Denver wants to advance in the playoffs, they will need shooting. They went 9-of-27 from three-point range in a matchup that went to overtime. It was the second fewest three-pointers attempted by any team in the playoff field yesterday. Porter made 193 three-pointers in the regular season. It stands to reason that he will find opportunities to make more.
I’m looking forward to seeing whether Porter can step up to the challenge.
Michael Porter Jr. found harsh spotlight by fading to the background Mile High Sports.
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