Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 2 road win vs. Nuggets

The Portland Trail Blazers tied their Western Conference semifinals series 1-1 with a win in Game 2. Here are a few takeaways from Wednesday’s victory.

If a series doesn’t truly start until the road team wins, then the Portland Trail Blazers have made it  a series. Their 97-90 victory at the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday is their first win in the conference semifinals since May 7, 2016. The series is now tied, 1-1.

The Blazers took a 12-10 lead with 6:56 to go in the first quarter and never looked back. Portland held the Nuggets to 12 points in the second quarter and led by as many as 17 points in the third. Denver managed to make it a game in the late stages, closing the gap to 95-90 with 34.9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, a couple of Rodney Hood free throws cemented the game in the visitors’ favor.

CJ McCollum led the way for Portland with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Enes Kanter (along with nine rebounds) and Rodney Hood chipped in 15 points each. Damian Lillard had a rough night, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Al-Farouq Aminu came away with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Five Nuggets scored in double-figures, led by Nikola Jokic‘s 16 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Jamal Murray followed up with 15 points despite going 6-of-18 from the field. Paul Millsap also secured a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.

The Trail Blazers have some leverage in this series now as the scene shifts back to Rip City for Game 3 on Friday. Here are a few things to takeaway from Portland’s equalizing win.