PORTLAND, Ore. — Nikola Jokic had 36 points and the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games with a 126-115 victory on Thursday night.
Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points, including 22 in the opening quarter, for the third-seeded Nuggets. The Nuggets will face the No. 2 seeded Phoenix Suns in the next round. Game 1 will be Monday night in Phoenix at 8:00 p.m. MST.
Denver advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the third straight season.
Damian Lillard finished with 28 points and 13 assists for the sixth-seeded Blazers.
They led by 14 points in the third quarter but couldn’t stave off elimination.
>>Video above: Jacob Tobey joins Rod Mackey to discuss the Nuggets closing out the Blazers
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