Michael Porter Jr. addressed his Denver Nuggets teammates after their elimination by the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 7 of the second-round Western Conference playoff series. Despite holding a 20-point lead early in the third quarter, the Nuggets were unable to secure the win.
Porter had a rough series, scoring only seven points on 3-of-12 shooting in the final game. Reflecting on his performance, Porter admitted it was a “terrible series” for him, noting he had maybe one or two good games out of the seven.
Porter averaged just 10.7 points per game with shooting splits of 37.1/32.5/76.9 in the series, with single-digit points in five of the seven games. He attributed his poor performance to both the Timberwolves’ defense and his own shooting struggles. Porter expressed regret, believing the team could have won if he had played better, and apologized to his teammates, taking responsibility for the loss.
Throughout the regular season, Porter was a standout player, averaging 16.7 points and seven rebounds per game with impressive shooting percentages. He also excelled in the first-round playoff win over the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 22.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with strong shooting percentages.
However, Porter’s struggles in the playoffs are not new, as he also underperformed in last year’s NBA Finals. Despite this, the Nuggets managed to win that series. This time, Porter’s poor performance was more noticeable.
Porter was not the sole reason for Denver’s loss to Minnesota, as Jamal Murray also had a challenging series, though he played well in Game 7 despite an injury. Porter remains optimistic about bouncing back next season, acknowledging that one bad series does not define his overall abilities as a player.
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