Denver Nuggets: 3 takeaways from tough Game 7 loss vs. Blazers

The Denver Nuggets came up short in Game 7 against the Portland Trail Blazers, and it’s time for the offseason to begin by learning from this loss.

The Denver Nuggets had an excellent season. They finished second in the Western Conference, and they won their first playoff series since the 2008-09 season. However, it all came to an end against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 100-96 Game 7 loss on Sunday.

Nikola Jokic did his best with 29 points on 11-of-26 shooting. He went 2-of-6 from 3-point range, which doesn’t seem impressive at first glance, but he was the only Nuggets player to make a 3-point shot all game.

Game 7 was all about CJ McCollum. He went 17-of-29 for 37 points with nine rebounds. When your MVP candidate teammate Damian Lillard goes 3-for-17 from the floor, you have to make up for that lack of production. McCollum did that, hitting some huge shots down the stretch. Against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, they’ll need both of them to show up every night.

For the Nuggets, they can learn from what went wrong in this game. They haven’t hit their ceiling, and they’re only going to get better moving forward. The key for them will be to continue to develop around Jokic without sacrificing the growth of other players on the team. This is going to be a big offseason for them, and it all starts with how they react to losing this series.