[jwplayer Ivrt47LY]
After suffering a 23-point loss in Game 1 versus the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets bounced back in Game 2 on Saturday to even the Western Conference semifinals at 1-1 behind a 110-101 victory.
The Nuggets led from start to finish in the contest as Jamal Murray scored a team-high 27 points while Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 18 rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds off of the bench and made a number of key plays to keep the Nuggets ahead.
Denver led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter but Los Angeles began to make a run. The Clippers cut the lead down to 12 points but Porter had an offensive put-back, then forced a steal on defense and had another second-chance bucket to extend the lead back to 16.
Porter has been praised by head coach Michael Malone for his ability to bring energy off of the bench and the rookie certainly did just that in Game 2. He has often struggled on defense throughout the playoffs but his knack for making hustle plays has kept him on the court.
Overall, the Nuggets received key contributions from several players and managed to move on after an ugly Game 1 loss. As a result, the Nuggets are right back in the series as the two teams prepare for a pivotal Game 3 matchup on Monday night.
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