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Reporter notebook: Jokic outduels Lillard in Game 1 loss

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had 37 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, and Blazers guard Damian Lillard finished with 39 points and 6 assists.
Credit: File
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Nuggets center Nikola Jokic had 37 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks to lead Denver to a 121-113 win against the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night in Denver.

Damian Lillard had 39 points and six assists to lead the Blazers, who lost despite shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.9% from the 3-point line. Portland was hurt by turnovers, 18 of them, which turned into 23 points for Denver.

Enes Kanter's status was in question before the game, but he played through a separated shoulder and finished with 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting in 33 minutes. Rodney Hood had 17 points in 18 minutes off the bench, and CJ McCollum added 16 points.

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BOX SCORE: Nuggets 121, Trail Blazers 113

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KGW's Orlando Sanchez was in Denver for Game 1, and he provided a live look at the action before, during and after the game via social media. This article contains tweets from Orlando and other media members from Portland and Denver.

Postgame

Fourth quarter

Third quarter: Nuggets 93, Blazers 84

Halftime: Nuggets 58, Blazers 55

First quarter: Blazers 32, Nuggets 32

Pregame

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