NBA Top Five Performances, March 19: Denver Nuggets Staved Off Brooklyn Nets with 28 Points from Michael Porter Jr.

TOP PLAYERS OF THE DAY:

Things were looking grim for the Denver Nuggets after losing five of their last six heading into Sunday night. A bounce-back game against the Brooklyn Nets answered that skid behind a 28-point night for Michael Porter Jr. The Nuggets’ lead nearly deteriorated in the fourth quarter until Porter hit a 3-pointer, swinging the momentum back in Denver’s direction to secure the win. Porter had one of the highest-scoring games of his career Sunday night after logging just 11 against the New York Knicks.

This victory inched the Nuggets closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They are four games ahead of the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies. Nuggets coach Michael Malone was impressed with Porter’s performance.

“Michael got nine boards and shot the ball really well,” Malone said. “He had a couple great examples of passing and cutting. But that’s how he should play. Just constantly challenging himself to make the right play and be a disciplined player on both ends of the floor.”

OTHERS:

- Giannis Antetokoumpo had a triple double in the Milwaukee Bucks’ rally against the Toronto Raptors. Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 100 percent from the field.

- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 40 point performance helped the Oklahoma City Thunder hold off Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.

- Austin Reaves’ career-high 35 points gave the Los Angeles Lakers the edge over the Orlando Magic.

- San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Devin Vassell tied his career high in scoring with a 29-point performance to beat the Atlanta Hawks. Vassell went 5 of 8 from the arc after a rough stretch shooting from that distance.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.

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