Recap: Michael Porter Jr. sparks second half run as Nuggets down Trail Blazers

The Denver Nuggets got some good news before the ball was even tipped as Michael Porter Jr. returned to action after missing the last 13 games due to a heel injury. With the help of Porter, the Nuggets won their third consecutive game courtesy of a 120-107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the win, the Nuggets now post a record of 20-11, which is still good for first place in the Western Conference. The Nuggets go into their Christmas game on Sunday night against the Phoenix Suns as the best team in the West and don’t have any intentions of slowing down.

It was a big second half by the Nuggets, which was sparked by the play of Porter. Following a second quarter where the Nuggets were outscored 37-26, the Trail Blazers led 64-58 at the break as Denver was searching for a spark. Porter did just that as he made some massive shots and some even better passes that sparked a third quarter where Denver outscored Portland 35-16.

In his 27 minutes of action, Porter scored an efficient 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. Porter also hauled in five rebounds and dished out two assists as he looked great in his first game back.

The Nuggets big third quarter propelled them for the remainder of the game as Denver eventually pulled away in the end as they have now won six of their last seven games. Nikola Jokic finished as the Nuggets leading scorer with 29 points to go along with 11 assists and eight rebounds as he just missed out on his 83rd career triple-double.

Speaking of triple-double, Jamal Murray was close as well as he finished with 25 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds. Caldwell-Pope (14) and Aaron Gordon (13) also finished in double-figures as all five of the Nuggets starters finished with at least 10+ points.

Denver will be back in action on Christmas Day when they look to keep their hot streak alive and stay on top of the Western Conference standings.