National Basketball Association

Nikola Jokic's 38 points power Nuggets past Trail Blazers, tie series 1-1

Updated May. 25, 2021 12:15 p.m. ET

We have ourselves a series out West!

The Denver Nuggets responded to their Game 1 loss with an emphatic, 128-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday in Game 2.

Here is how the Nuggets evened this series.

Key performer: Nikola Jokic

Down 0-1, the Nuggets needed a big-time performance from their franchise player to avoid dropping the first two games of this series at home.

Jokic delivered in a major way, looking the part of the presumptive MVP Award winner.

On a night when he seemingly couldn't miss, Jokic went 15-for-20 from the field to score 38 points.

Turning point: Nuggets' 9-0 run to close the second quarter

The second quarter belonged to Blazers star Damian Lillard, who poured in 22 points in the frame and unloaded a 3-point barrage that swung all of the momentum Portland's way.

The hot shooting from Lillard cut the Nuggets' lead to three points, making it 64-61 with 1:48 to play in the first half.

The Nuggets responded with a 9-0 run to close out the half and take a 73-61 lead into the break. They never relinquished that lead in the second half.

Wild card: The Nuggets' bench

Jokic was dominant, and Michael Porter Jr. provided a secondary scoring option, with 18 points, but the real difference for the Nuggets in Monday's win was their bench.

The duo of Paul Millsap and Monte Morris contributed to this win in a major way, scoring 15 and 12 points, respectively, to outscore the Blazers' bench on their own.

In a game when the stars shined bright for the Nuggets, the two key reserves tipped the scales in Denver's favor.

Twitter's take:

Did you know?

This win for the Nuggets snapped a three-game playoff losing streak against the Trail Blazers. The Nuggets lost the last two games of the 2019 Western Conference semifinals, as well as the first game of this series.

What's next?

All tied up, this series heads to Portland, with the Nuggets trying to regain the home-court advantage they lost in Game 1 while the Blazers look to take control of the series with two consecutive home games.

Game 3 will tip off at 10:30 p.m. ET Thursday.

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