With a 3-2 lead in the series, the Denver Nuggets were unable to hold off a chippy Portland Trail Blazers team who forced a Game 7 with a big 119-108 victory on Thursday night. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were able to combine for 62 points in the game, although it was Seth Curry who was one of the bigger stories for the Blazers. In the fourth quarter, Curry got into a shoving match with Will Barton of the Nuggets which led to both players being pulled away by their respective teammates. Afterward, Curry spoke about Barton and the Nuggets, saying they're a pretty dramatic bunch. "He waited for a few people to get in between us, and when a few people were in between us, he put his finger in my eye," Curry said according to ESPN. "You know what I'm saying. I can't allow people to put their fingers in my eye. That's real sassy. They got a few sassy dudes over there. Front-runners. And we can't allow that." Barton gave his own explanation of what happened, saying he wasn't going to let anyone push him around. "It ain't no beef," Barton said. "I wasn't even looking for that. I was just trying to protect myself. I guess he thought I was trying to stand on top of him and be tough. I was just trying to get out of the way before I got injured. He pushed me. I'm not going to let nobody push me. But that's nothing." Game 7 will go down on Sunday in Denver.<doc-sep>Garrett Ellwood/Getty Images The Portland Trail Blazers started to pull away from the Denver Nuggets in the second half of Thursday’s Game 6, which led to frustration from the visitors. Will Barton appeared to poke Seth Curry in the eye as the two were jawing back and forth during a scuffle, which forced a replay review of the situation. Barton, Curry, Denver’s Torrey Craig and Portland’s Zach Collins were all issued technical fouls, although nobody was ejected. Video Play Button McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for "Jennifer" Stars Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA The NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors Wade's Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This Season Westbrook Makes History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album Wade's #OneLastDance Dominated February Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments with Steph Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Melo to the Knicks Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans ASG Will Be Competitive Again If the NBA Raises the Stakes Right Arrow Icon The situation could lead to some lingering tension—and potential discipline for Barton—with Game 7 looming on Sunday in Denver.<doc-sep>A confrontation between Will Barton and Seth Curry in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers resulted in four technical fouls being handed out. Barton, Curry, Torrey Craig and Zach Collins all received technical fouls (two sets of double technicals) for the incident. The matter began with Nikola Jokic driving on Collins, who fell to the floor while playing defense. He skidded into Barton, which made Barton upset. He pushed Curry, who stepped right back into his face.<doc-sep>PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Trail Blazers and Nuggets are heading toward a Game 7 showdown after things got heated between the teams late in Thursday night's contest. A scuffle broke out midway through the fourth quarter of Portland's 119-108 victory, during which Blazers guard Seth Curry and Nuggets forward Will Barton shoved each other. As the two were being separated, Barton appeared to poke Curry in the eye. Denver's Torrey Craig and Portland's Zach Collins also got into it as the skirmish escalated. Officials handed out offsetting technical fouls for all four players. Afterward, Curry took exception to the Nuggets' actions, Barton's in particular. "He waited for a few people to get in between us, and when a few people were in between us, he put his finger in my eye," Curry said of Barton. "You know what I'm saying. I can't allow people to put their fingers in my eye. "That's real sassy. They got a few sassy dudes over there. Front-runners. And we can't allow that." The incident occurred after Nuggets center Nikola Jokic drove to the rim and was called for an offensive foul, causing Collins to fall backward toward Barton's legs. Curry came over to help Collins up and nudged Barton away. Barton pushed back, and the skirmish ensued. Curry said he was surprised that Barton did not get ejected. Barton said he does not believe he will be suspended for Game 7 and explained that he was simply protecting himself from getting hurt after Collins fell toward him. "It ain't no beef," Barton said. "I wasn't even looking for that. I was just trying to protect myself. I guess he thought I was trying to stand on top of him and be tough. I was just trying to get out of the way before I got injured. He pushed me. I'm not going to let nobody push me. But that's nothing." Craig got in the middle of Barton and Curry, and Collins shoved Craig. Portland's Evan Turner then came over and held Craig at a distance. Officials took their time to examine the play before handing out the offsetting technical fouls with 6:16 remaining and Portland up 104-90. "I ain't worried about no fines," Barton said. "I ain't trippin' off that. Hopefully, [there's] no suspension off that. I think if I [did something to get] suspended, I would probably have gotten ejected." "It's competitive playoff basketball," Barton added. "Some things are going to happen. If we are all out there just being friendly, it ain't going to look like nobody trying to win." It's been a roller-coaster second-round series between two competitive teams, and it seems only natural that tensions finally flared. Damian Lillard hit six 3-pointers and scored 32 points, and CJ McCollum added 30 points for the Trail Blazers. Rodney Hood provided a difference-making 25 points to keep Portland's season alive. "We don't quit," Portland's Enes Kanter said. "I mean, that's one thing, we don't quit. I mean, we lost Game 5 by, what, [26] points? We know we are capable of winning there. We can beat that team." The Blazers won Game 2 in Denver 97-90, but the Nuggets will be playing a second consecutive Game 7 in this postseason at home, where they were a league-best 34-7 in the regular season. The Nuggets, though, know they cannot rely simply on the fact that they prevailed in Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs at home. "It's weird, everyone keeps talking about experience," Denver guard Jamal Murray said of many of the young Nuggets playing in their first postseason. "I just want to say that we've been here before. We'll go back home, regroup like we did for San Antonio, come back with energy and just be ready to play." Denver coach Michael Malone said he is hoping both teams will be at full strength, with nothing further coming out of the Game 6 skirmish. "I know for us -- I didn't see their bench -- but our bench never came close to coming on the floor," Malone said. "The referees and coaches from both teams did a great job of breaking it up. "I didn't see anything that would warrant any further techs, suspensions, whatever. Hopefully, both teams are at full strength for Game 7, which is what the fans deserve."<doc-sep>
Steve Dykes/Getty Images Portland Trail Blazers guard Seth Curry called the Denver Nuggets "sassy" after the two teams engaged in a fourth-quarter confrontation during Game 6 of their NBA Western Conference second-round playoff series on Thursday. Video Play Button McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for "Jennifer" Stars Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA The NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors Wade's Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This Season Westbrook Makes History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album Wade's #OneLastDance Dominated February Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments with Steph Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Melo to the Knicks Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans ASG Will Be Competitive Again If the NBA Raises the Stakes Right Arrow Icon Nuggets guard Will Barton appeared to poke Curry in the eye during the scuffle. "[Barton] waited for a few people to get in between us, and when a few people were in between us, he put his finger in my eye," Curry told reporters postgame. "You know what I'm saying? I can't allow people to put their fingers in my eye. "That's real sassy. They got a few sassy dudes over there. Front-runners. And we can't allow that." Barton, Curry, Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins and Nuggets forward Torrey Craig received technicals for their roles in the altercation. Barton provided his response as well. "It ain't no beef," Barton said. "I wasn't even looking for that. I was just trying to protect myself. I guess he thought I was trying to stand on top of him and be tough. I was just trying to get out of the way before I got injured. He pushed me. I'm not going to let nobody push me. But that's nothing." Barton also doesn't think he'll be suspended for the series-deciding Game 7, which will take place on Sunday in Denver. "I ain't worried about no fines. I ain't trippin' off that. Hopefully, [there's] no suspension off that. I think if I [did something to get] suspended, I would probably have gotten ejected. "It's competitive playoff basketball," Barton added. "Some things are going to happen. If we are all out there just being friendly, it ain't going to look like nobody trying to win." The confrontation and postgame words almost seem inevitable given the series' intensity and competitiveness. Of note, the Blazers won a four-overtime matchup 140-137 in Game 3, and neither side has led by more than one game in the second-round faceoff. Both sides have also taken a road game in the seesaw battle. The Blazers have the series momentum after winning 119-108 on Thursday, but Denver was a league-best 34-7 at home this season. The Nuggets are 5.5-point favorites, per Vegas Insider.