Denver Nuggets eliminate Portland Trail Blazers behind MVP performance from Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets have grown quite accustomed to playing seven-game series. But for once they didn't need to go the distance, as they closed out the Portland Trail Blazers in six with a 126-115 win on Thursday. "I love our team. I love every player in that locker room, one through seventeen," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "We continue to find ways to win. Last year, this year, people don't realize what we're missing right now with injuries, so I couldn't be more proud of a group of players that I truly love coaching every single day." The Nuggets did it on the road, avoiding any clutch-time magic from Damian Lillard by holding the Blazers to just 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets felt the urgency going into Game 6 of this first-round series to get it done sooner than later, knowing they lost a Game 7 on their home floor to the Blazers two seasons ago.