Damian Lillard scored 32 and led the Blazers to a season-saving Game 6, forcing a Game 7 back in Denver in their Conference Semifinals series with the Nuggets. The Portland Trail Blazers weren't ready to go home. With a season-saving Game 6 win in Portland, the Blazers will play their first Game 7 since 2003. Meanwhile, for the second playoff series in a row, the young Nuggets will look to use their home court advantage to advance to the next round. Portland's trio of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Rodney Hood showed up when it mattered, putting up big scoring numbers. Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Rodney Hood become the first trio to all score 25+ PTS in a win when facing elimination since Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and Keith Van Horn (2002). pic.twitter.com/HZqAjluuD7 - NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 10, 2019 After a couple of days break, both teams will look to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Can the Blazers win another one in Denver and mark their first Conference Finals appearance since 2000 or will the Nuggets make it to their first Conference Finals since 2009? Rodney Hood headlines bench mismatch The bench production was a huge factor in Game 6. The Blazers reserves more than tripled the output by their counterparts by outscoring the Nuggets' bench 42-13. Rodney Hood was the leading man off the bench, finishing the game with a playoff career-high 25 points on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting. Playoff career-high 25 points for Hoodie 🎥 pic.twitter.com/TMgZDlp8ki - Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 10, 2019 Zach Collins, in his 29 minutes, recorded 14 points (4-8 FG's) and 5 blocks. While the duo of Seth Curry and Evan Turner didn't have a lot of points to show for but both contributed tremendously in their own way. Curry only had three points but he finished with a +19 in his 20 minutes on the floor while Turner, who attempted no shots, finished with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. On the other hand, the Nuggets' bench, that averaged 29.2 points this series, was led by Will Barton's 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Troubles at the charity stripe In close games, any easy points you can get should be taken. They can be the difference between winning and losing. Thankfully for the Portland Trail Blazers, they managed to walk away with the victory, but it was by no means easy. Escaping to force a big Game 7, the Blazers could have easily accounted for the Denver Nuggets and allowed their starters some rest if only they knocked down their free throws. The Blazers in total went 18-26 from the free throw line (69%) with Al-Farouq Aminu going 1-4 from the line and normally reliable shooter Rodney Hood went 6-9. With the intensity in Game 7 set to go through the roof, the winner of the series could come down to who can knock down their free throws. The clock strikes Dame in third Damian Lillard hadn't enjoyed the same level of success this series as he had in the first round. The Denver Nuggets had done a good job of keeping the star guard in check following a Game 1 39 point display. With only 11 points to his name at halftime, it looked like he was headed for another subpar performance. That all changed in the third quarter when Lillard found his range and Dame Time took over. Lillard dropped 17 points on 6-7 shooting which included going 3-4 from deep in the third quarter as the Blazers extended their lead. He was simply unstoppable and was hitting from all over the floor as the Nuggets were helpless to slow him down. He matched his second highest output from the series in less than three quarters as he torched the defense. Lillard eventually finished the contest with 32 points on 11-23 shooting, going 6-13 from three. With a Game 7 to come and Lillard finding his range, the Nuggets should be fearful of the Blazers' leader.<doc-sep>GAME 7 TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW Another series, another Game 7. The Denver Nuggets got off to a hot start in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals, but weren’t able to capitalize on it in a disappointing 119-108 defeat on the road at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers. Nikola Jokić continued his stellar inaugural postseason run with another incredible game, pouring in 29 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Unfortunately, for the Nuggets, Game 6 saw a return to form from Portland star Damian Lillard, who had his best performance of semifinals with 32 points on 11 of 23 shooting. When Denver took a 16-7 lead after back-to-back threes from Jamal Murray and Gary Harris, it appeared as if the team would be booking its ticket to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009. The Nuggets would take a 34-26 lead entering into the second quarter, which appeared to be a positive as the team was 3-0 in the postseason when it leads after the opening 12 minutes of the game. With their backs against the wall, the hosts would respond in the second quarter as they outscored Denver 32-20. CJ McCollum sparked Portland’s turnaround as he hit two threes en route to a nine-point quarter. “In that second quarter, everything got turned around really quick.” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. “Give their bench credit, those guys came in and played really well for them.” It was in the second half where Lillard would take over the game, as he poured in 21 points – including 17 in the third quarter. Although Denver outrebounded Portland and won the turnover battle, they couldn’t get going on offense as the team shot 38.4 percent from the floor. The Nuggets will look to regroup and use their homecourt towards their advantage in Game 7 on Sunday at Pepsi Center (TV and time TBD). “Now we go home and [we] have the best homecourt advantage in the NBA,” Malone said. “We’re going to rely on that once again to try to close out Game 7.” Here are three takeaways: Bench struggles The Nuggets’ bench couldn’t get going in Game 6 as Portland’s reserves outscored the unit 40-11. The unit shot just 4 of 16 on the night and allowed the Trail Blazers bench to hit 13 of its 23 shots. Rodney Hood has been difficult for the Nuggets to contain throughout the semifinals and it continued on Thursday night as he finished the game with 25 points on 66.7 percent shooting. Zach Collins was also effective as he had 14 points, five blocks and four rebounds. “I thought Rodney Hood was the MVP of the game,” Malone said. “[He] had a huge impact throughout the game, all four quarters. The Nuggets bench was a significant reason why the team was able to get past San Antonio, but outside of Will Barton, the unit hasn’t been able to get going in the semifinals. Denver’s reserves are shooting 36.6 percent in the semifinals as opposed to converting at 44.7 percent in the first round. Defensive regression Denver’s defense was the catalyst of the team taking a 3-2 lead in the semifinals heading into Game 6 as it did a superb job of limiting the effectiveness of Lillard in the first five games. Lillard, a career 37 percent shooter from downtown, was hitting just 25.7 percent against the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. That would change on Thursday night. Portland’s star guard was lethal from behind the arc, hitting 6 of 13. Part of Lillard’s success came from extending his range as he unofficially hit at least two shots from at least 27-feet out. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, Lillard wasn’t the only player who knocking down threes from downtown as the Trail Blazers hit 15 of 33 on threes. Entering Thursday’s game, Portland was shooting 32.7 percent from downtown. “We have to play better defense, it’s pretty black and white,” Malone said before later adding. “In our wins in the playoffs, our defense has carried us. Even on nights like this where you struggle to make shots, you have to rely on your defense. I thought our defense was not where it needed to be tonight.” Jokić gonna Jokić There aren’t enough superlatives to describe what Jokić is doing in his first-ever postseason experience. Jokić shot 66.7 percent and continued his recent uptick in hitting threes, going 2-for-3 from behind the arc. It isn’t a surprise that when the Serbian center dealt with foul trouble, picking up his fourth in third quarter, the Nuggets had a difficult time of getting into rhythm until he returned at the 9:56 mark.<doc-sep>The Portland Trail Blazers face off against the Denver Nuggets tonight at the Moda Center with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN. Before the action gets underway, how are you feeling about this Game 6 matchup? Hopeless? Confident? Nervous? At peace? Do you think the Blazers can even up this series with a win at home? We’re taking the pulse of Rip City to find out how the fans are feeling about the pivotal showdown. For Game 6 between the Nuggets and Blazers, how are you feeling? Can Portland turn things on in front of their hometown crowd, or will it be the Nuggets who send Portland home from the postseason? Vote in our poll and then head to the comments. Make your score prediction and tell us how you think Game 6 will play out tonight in the comments section. - Tim Brown, The Oregonian/OregonLive | @timfsbrown Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox<doc-sep>
The Portland Trail Blazers weren't ready for their season to end on Thursday night. With their backs against the wall and facing elimination in Game 6, the Blazers responded in a major way and pulled out a 119-108 victory in front of their home crowd. With the win, the Blazers forced a do-or-die Game 7 situation that is set for Sunday in Denver. Portland's vaunted backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum led the way for the Blazers, as the duo combined for 62 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. The Blazers also got major contributions from their bench as Rodney Hood and Zach Collins combined to score 39 points off the pine. Nikola Jokic led the way for the Nuggets, as he finished the game with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, while Jamal Murray added 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Millsap chipped in with 17 points. Winning on the road in the postseason isn't easy, and closing out an opponent on the road is especially difficult. The Nuggets learned that the hard way on Thursday night. Here are a few takeaways from Portland's clutch Game 6 win: Lillard looked like his usual self Dame Lillard hadn't necessarily been held in check over the course of the first five games of the series with the Nuggets, but it's fair to say that he wasn't playing his best ball. In Game 6, he bounced back and looked like the All-NBA player to which we have grown accustomed -- the same guy who sunk the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round with one of the coldest daggers in NBA history. Lillard finished with a game-high 32 points, shot 6-for-13 from deep, and also added five assists. It was his best game of the series, and also his 15th career 30-point performance in the postseason. Blazers got a big bench boost Rodney Hood provided the Trail Blazers with some much-needed firepower off of the bench, as he went for 20 points and hit several big shots in Game 6. Portland can rely on consistent production from Lillard and McCollum, but at times this postseason they have searched for a third option, especially with Jusuf Nurkic sidelined. When they get another guy to step up and score 20-plus like Hood did on Thursday night, they become that much more difficult to defend. In addition to Hood, Zach Collins also provided the Blazers with some solid production off of the bench as he added 14 points and four rebounds of his own. The Blazers won the bench battle against the Nuggets big-time in Game 6, and that was a big part of the reason that they were able to walk away with a win. Denver's starters need some support On the other side of the coin … Denver got an all-around effort from their first five on Thursday night, as all five starters scored in double-digits and combined to score 95 points. The bad thing is that Denver scored just 108 points as a team, meaning that they got just 13 points of production off of the bench. Hood and Collins each single-handedly outscored Denver's entire bench, which tipped things in Portland's favor. In Game 7, Denver is going to need more from their reserves. Recap of Game 6 updates Below you can re-live the Game 6 action between the Nuggets and Blazers. If you are unable to view the live application below, please click here. No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers How to watch Game 7 Date: Sunday, May 9 Sunday, May 9 Time: TBD TBD Location: Pepsi Center-- Denver, Colorado Pepsi Center-- Denver, Colorado TV channel: TBD TBD Live stats: GameTracker GameTracker Online streaming: TBD TBD Odds: Will update when available TV listings All games will air on ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV during the postseason. Games on TNT and NBA TV can be streamed via fuboTV (try it for free). Odds and Analysis Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.