By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
An historic game was played on Friday at the Moda Center with the Portland Trail Blazers finally defeating the Denver Nuggets, 140-137, in fourth overtime. The visitors dug their way out of double-digit hole twice in the first 48 minutes, but the 20 extra minutes produced ten ties and eleven lead changes with the final one in favor of the Blazers. Rodney Hood produced the last lead change nailing a three-pointer with 17.8 seconds left.
Nikola Jokic notched his third postseason triple-double with 33 points, 18 boards and 14 dimes. However, the Joker missed his chance to force the eleventh overtime tie failing to make his first out of two attempts from the charity line with 5.6 seconds to go. The 24-year-old Serbian big, who also tallied two rejections and one steal, was on his 65th and last minute of action.
Enes Kanter was exhausted as well and his left shoulder soreness didn’t help, but he helped his team draw a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals best-of-seven series with 18 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and one block in 56 minutes. C.J. McCollum dropped 41 points, but Seth Curry sealed the victory sinking a couple of free throws after Jokic’s 1/2 from 16 feet.
The only other quadruple-overtime contest of the NBA Playoffs was played way back in 1953. The Boston Celtics then beat the Syracuse Nationals, 111-105, to sweep the best-of-three series, only to be eliminated by the New York Knicks in the next round.
Blazers’ Jusuf Nurkic missed the historic match due to his left leg injury that prematurely ended his 2018-19 campaign. Juan Hernangomez was available, but didn’t get on the court for the visiting side.
The fourth quarter of the thrilling Game 3 ended 102-102, 109-109, 118-118 and 129-129 stalemates followed at the end of the first three extra periods.