May 27, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) shoots the ball during the first half of game three in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Twitter could not get over Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr’s ridiculous first quarter performance against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
This past Tuesday, the NBA world watched as Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard put on a legendary performance in Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets. Lillard scored 55 points, made 12 3-pointers (a new NBA Playoffs record) and sent the game into single- and double-overtime on two clutch shots.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. got a up-close look at that production and apparently decided that he was going to go scorched earth in Game 6. Porter scored 22 points in the first quarter, where he made 8-of-10 shots from the field and made 6-of-7 3-point attempts!
NBA Twitter reacted accordingly to the ridiculous offensive output by Porter on Thursday night.
Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr’s red-hot first quarter in Game 6 vs. the Trail Blazers
Porter literally and figuratively put the team on his back in the first quarter. The only players in Denver’s starting lineup to score in the first act were forward Aaron Gordon with 3 points and guard Austin Rivers with 2 points, on one shot apiece. But that can be attributed to the Nuggets wisely feeding the hot hand that was Porter.
This was quite the way for Porter to build off of his Game 5 performance. Porter was essentially an automatic bucket through 48 minutes of playing time, where he scored 26 points while shooting 10-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from behind the arc in Denver’s 147-140 victory.
With Denver one win away from advancing to the second round, Porter decided to take matters into his own hands with a stellar first quarter.