Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 1 loss vs. Nuggets

The Portland Trail Blazers fell short in Game 1 of the semifinal series of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Here are three takeaways from the loss.

The Portland Trail Blazers have advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2016. However, they were unable to secure their first win of the second round in three years, falling 121-113 in Game 1 of their series against the Denver Nuggets Monday at the Pepsi Center. Denver is now ahead in the series, 1-0.

This highly-anticipated matchup was tight throughout the first half. It was tied at 32 after the first quarter, and the Nuggets held a 58-55 lead at halftime. Denver kicked things into another gear in the third quarter, leading by as many as 10 halfway through the period. Portland pushed back in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 101-96 with 8:57 left. The Nuggets responded with an 8-0 run that kept the game in their favor until the final buzzer.

Damian Lillard paced Portland with 39 points and six assists. Enes Kanter followed up with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting and seven rebounds. Rodney Hood added 17 points off the bench while CJ McCollum chipped in 16 points.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 37 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. Jamal Murray finished with 23 points and eight assists, Paul Millsap came away with 19 points and six rebounds, and Gary Harris added 11 points and five rebounds.

The Blazers find themselves down after Game 1, with Game 2 awaiting on Wednesday. What can the team take away from this series-opening defeat?