The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets 118-110 on Monday as Jrue Holiday finished with 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
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The Portland Trail Blazers closed out a physical, whistle-heavy game against the Denver Nuggets with an 118-110 win on Monday, paced by Jrue Holiday’s nearly triple-double performance.
Holiday, 36, delivered 17 points along with 10 assists and eight rebounds, including three made 3-pointers. The game featured standout perimeter play as he crossed up Aaron Gordon and later hit a stepback 3-pointer.
Portland’s second-half defensive adjustments were a major difference-maker. After allowing more early free throws, the Blazers held the Nuggets to 44 points in the second half and limited their trips to the line, sending Denver to the free throw line only eight times over the final two quarters.
Head coach Micah Nori pointed to that discipline after the game. He said, “We stopped fouling in the second half, only gave them eight free throws (Jamal) Murray only went to the free throw line twice,” adding, “To me, I thought it was a resilient win, I thought everyone who played in the game contributed.”
The Blazers also won the rebounding battle in the closing stretch, establishing a 30-14 edge on the boards in the second half and a 53-37 advantage for the full game. Donovan Clingan led the way with 18 rebounds, while Holiday added 10 rebounds from the guard position.
Portland faced early momentum swings, going down 31-19 and trailing 26 free throws to going into halftime, before Holiday set the tone with composure. Holiday said, “I think it was a team effort, I don't think it was just me, I think everybody came through and was very composed,” before pointing to how Portland cleaned things up heading into the fourth and “kind of controlling the fourth quarter.”
The win came as the Blazers continue to navigate lineup challenges, with Scoot Henderson “continuing to struggle” and Ja Morant out for at least another three weeks, according to the game coverage.
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