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SPORTS Monday 13 May 2019
CJ McCollum leads Blazers past

Nuggets 100-96 in Game 7

By ARNIE STAPLETON style. Shout out to my guy tablished himself during
AP Sports Writer ‘Bron. It was a mini-version these playoffs as the best
DENVER (AP) — Damian of ‘Bron’s block on Iggy big man in basketball and
Lillard’s shots kept bang- some years ago . Definitely he only petered out at the
ing off the backboard, rat- didn’t get up as high but it end because the Nuggets
tling off the rim, going ev- was a cool play. I might get had to rely so heavily on
erywhere but through the a picture of that.” the 7-foot All-Star.
hoop. Lillard said it was just the “I hope after 14 playoff
The Portland Trail Blazers spark the Blazers needed games, America, everyone
are going to the Western to complete the come- around the world, came
Conference Finals anyway back from a 17-point first- to appreciate his game,”
because CJ McCollum half hole. Malone said. “For him to
had his back. “Those are the plays that be as emotional and up-
McCollum scored 37 get teams going, coming set as he was speaks to his
points and added a cru- off a turnover and they get caring. He was upset be-
cial chase-down block in an easy one,” he said. “At cause he thinks he didn’t
the closing minutes that that point of the game you do enough for us to win
helped the Blazers beat the want to make them work tonight.”It was a devastat-
Denver Nuggets 100-96 on for everything.” ing end to Denver’s season
Sunday to advance to their The Nuggets were down after the Nuggets ended Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum, right, flies over Denver
first conference champion- 96-95 coming out of a a six-year playoff drought Nuggets forward Mason Plumlee for a basket in the second half
ship since 2000. timeout when McCollum and earned the second of Game 7 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series
They’ll open Tuesday night hit a pull-up jumper over seed in the Western Con- Sunday, May 12, 2019, in Denver.
at Golden State against Torrey Craig with 12.4 sec- ference bracket.q Associated Press
the two-time defending onds left. The mismanage-
NBA champion Warriors in ment continued: Jokic was
a series pitting Portland’s fouled inside shooting a
Seth Curry against his big 2-pointer with 11.4 seconds
brother, Golden State star left and missed the first free
Steph Curry. throw. Instead of missing
Lillard scored 13 points and the second on purpose, he
made just 3 of 17 shots from made it for a 98-96 deficit.
the field, but two of them Eric Turner then hit two free
were critical 3-pointers in throws with eight seconds
the fourth quarter that put left for the final margin,
Portland ahead 81-76 and and Jokic missed a long
92-85. 3-pointer, with five seconds
“It’s a luxury to have two remaining, Turner grabbed
guys like that who can find the rebounds and dribbled
different ways to score in out the clock.
different ways,” Blazers The Nuggets raced to a
coach Terry Stotts said. “CJ 39-22 lead and Game 7
does it one way, Dame was beginning to look a
does it in another. On a lot like Game 5, when Den-
night when Dame strug- ver blew out Portland by
gled shooting the ball CJ 26 points in this building.
came up big.” But Stotts called a timeout
“CJ McCollum showed with 7:26 left in the second
why they have one of the quarter and his team be-
best backcourts in the gan chipping away.
NBA,” Nuggets coach Mi- “There wasn’t going to
chael Malone said. “He put be any quit,” Stotts said.
his team on his back and “I didn’t think they ever
made big play after big stopped believing. ... It was
play.” just about regrouping.”
None bigger than when his The Blazers were down 48-
crucial chase-down block 39 at halftime and trailed
with 4:44 left and the Trail by just a point heading into
Blazers leading 87-83. the fourth quarter.
McCollum raced to stop a That’s when the Nuggets’
breakaway layup by Jamal hopes of reaching their first
Murray , who had a miser- Western Conference Finals
able night shooting, missing in a decade died with a
14 of 18 shots. 7-of-24 shooting perfor-
“Seth did a good job of cut- mance, including 3 of 10
ting off his lane and mak- from Jokic, who tearfully
ing him have to go over blamed himself in the lock-
his head,” McCollum said. er room for the loss.
“He put it right there for me Nonsense, said his coach,
and I went and got it ‘Bron who suggested Jokic es-