Damian Lillard had 32 points Thursday night, pushing the Trail Blazers past Denver 119-108 in Game 6.
CJ McCollum added 30 points for Portland, which forced a decisive Game 7.
Nikola Jokic led the way for the Nuggets with 29 points and 12 rebounds, and Jamal Murray had 24 points (on 7-of-20 shooting) and 10 assists.
Per The AP:
“I think over the course of the series, at least after Game 1, I just haven’t seen the ball go in consistently enough,” Lillard said. “My job is to stay aggressive, keep doing what I do, and tonight, shots fell.”
The series now shifts to Denver, where the Nuggets will have a chance to make it to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009. Denver has been to the conference finals three times in franchise history.
“We’ll go back home, regroup, like we did for San Antonio, come back with energy and just be ready to play,” Murray said.
Lillard was reminded after the game that he’s never played in a Game 7 in his career.
“It’s basically a game where only one team is going to make it out,” he said. “It’s your last opportunity to play, so facing elimination is what it is to me, and that’s going to be my approach, just like it was tonight. The only thing is that it’s going to be on the road. It’s for our season. All the marbles.”
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