Kiszla: Nuggets’ 147-140 victory over Portland makes beautiful noise of city that refused to be broken by the pandemic

There was blood on Nikola Jokic’s elbow and passion thumping in every beating heart of every screaming Nuggets fan. What happened on the first Tuesday night in June was more than a sporting event.

It was a Denver crowd rising up, not only to celebrate a playoff victory over Portland, but also shouting that COVID-19 could not beat us.

And it was a beautiful noise. Take a bow, Denver. Kudos to you, Nuggets fans.

“They bring us life,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Denver won 147-140 in double overtime, refusing to let 55 points by Portland guard Damian Lillard ruin the party. The Nuggets took a 3-2 lead in the series, moving one victory away from advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

But the real story here was a city coming together for a big group hug, with Ball Arena filled to the rafters by well more than 10,000 of your neighbors getting their ya-ya’s out after 15 long months when we’ve all been under siege by the pandemic. Fans chanted “M-V-P!” in celebration of Jokic’s 38 points and jeered every clanked jumper by Portland forward Carmelo Anthony.

Out on the arena concourse, behind Section 140, there were COVID vaccines being offered during the game to any fan who wanted to step behind the curtain and roll up a sleeve to get pricked by a needle.

Together, we are finally driving a stake through the pandemic’s cruel heart.

We won’t forget families and friends lost to COVID. But when Michael Porter Jr. swishes a 3-point jumper to put the Nuggets ahead to stay with 93 seconds remaining in the second overtime, we scream from the bottom of our ever-loving souls because we’re happy not only to be alive, but also to regain the simple joys that make life worth living.

AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

Michael Porter Jr. (1) of the Denver Nuggets hits a dagger three over Robert Covington (23) of the Portland Trail Blazers as the Portland bench looks on during the second overtime period of Denver’s 147-140 win at Ball Arena on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

It was a classic playoff game nobody in attendance will ever forget. But this fight between NBA heavyweights named Joker and Dame began slowly. The Blazers began Game 5 begging to get beat.

With smothering D and sizzling shooting, everything the Nuggets did until early in the second quarter harshed their Melo. When Paul Millsap hit a driving layup with 7:52 remaining until halftime, Denver took a commanding 54-32 lead.

The cheering crowd was on a roll and the snark began to flow, with Channel 4 anchorman Jim Benemann tweeting: “Blazers getting ready to put in Ryan Reaves.”

Not so fast, my friends. Our local NBA team has raised dancing on the brink to an art form. The Nuggets never do anything the easy way.

Denver has the league MVP, but no hammer. Rather than snuffing out the Blazers, Joker and company allowed Lillard to get hot. Portland finished the first half on a 30-11 blitz, cutting what had seemed to be an insurmountable Nuggets’ lead to a mere three points.

During that ugly reversal of fortunes, it’s worth noting that Nuggets guard Austin Rivers smacked a cup in frustration from the scorer’s table, sending it hurtling into the Portland bench, causing coach Terry Stotts and the Blazers to leap off their seats, ready to rumble.

Passion is good, and Rivers exhales intensity with every breath. But stoking the motivational fires in your foe? That’s dumb.

The animosity between these teams is real and the chippiness can get under anyone’s skin. But anger management has long been the primary area where Jokic needs work.

After losing the ball while trying to post up Enes Kanter in the third quarter, Joker stood in the backcourt and barked at a ref while the Blazers raced upcourt for a layup. When Jokic got slapped with a technical foul, the resulting free throw by Lillard gave Portland an 83-82 lead with 4:05 remaining in the period.

From there, it was an emotional rollercoaster amped to hyperspeed, driven by Joker and Dame, two guys capable of raising goose bumps on folks who have hidden themselves behind closed doors for too long, waiting for the COVID storm to pass.

“Dame was going insane,” said Porter, who watched as Lillard drilled clutch 3-point jumpers in the final seconds of both the fourth quarter and the first overtime to prolong the sweet agony.

But Joker laughed last. On his way off the court after Game 5 of a playoff series that makes us grateful sports have come roaring back, Jokic lingered, waving and acknowledging every fan in his adopted home town, a place whose spirit is unbreakable.

“I think there’s mutual respect,” Jokic said.

Who knew the return to normalcy could be such a freakin’ good time?

“Let’s make it a sellout next time,” Malone said. “Let 19,000 fans in.”

AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

Damian Lillard (0) of the Portland Trail Blazers hits a game-tying three over Michael Porter Jr. (1) of the Denver Nuggets during a fourth quarter that would close at 121-121 to force overtime at Ball Arena on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.