1. International flare. Facundo Campazzo did it all on Thursday night at the Moda Arena and was nearing his first NBA triple-double as a 30-year-old Nuggets rookie. He finished with 11 points and drew a late charge on Jusuf Nurkic that Portland coach Terry Stotts challenged — and lost. Filling the shoes of injured starting point guard Jamal Murray (torn ACL) is not easy. But Campazzo has played well in these playoffs.
2. 3-point barrage. Nikola Jokic hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions midway through the first quarter, and Denver’s deep-ball party was off and running. The Nuggets entered halftime having connected on 60 percent of their shots beyond the arc with Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and JaMychal Green combining for 5-of-5. It marked a significant uptick in Denver’s team 3-point shooting percentage in comparison to Game 1 (30%) and Game 2 (42%).
3. MPJ’s rough start. Porter made the Nuggets’ first basket of the night. But it went downhill from there for MPJ. He committed two turnovers, was called for two fouls, and also got blown past multiple times defensively by back-cutting Blazers. Coach Michael Malone subbed Porter out early with the Nuggets trailing by 6 points. Denver responded with a 33-11 run to close the first quarter. Porter redeemed himself with 11 points in the second, though, including a successful four-point play.
