Nuggets Spoil Michael Porter Jr's Homecoming in Win Over Nets

Coming off a loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Denver Nuggets were desperate to get back in the win column. Despite still playing without Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun, the Nuggets were able to pick up a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night.

The Nuggets were led by Jamal Murray with 27 points, four rebounds, and six assists on 9-16 shooting from the field and 7-7 from the charity stripe, making up for his costly missed free throws at the end of their loss to the Pistons. While Murray was the star of the show, he certainly had some help.

Tim Hardaway Jr. was huge for the Nuggets, especially in the first half. In 13 first-half minutes, Hardaway Jr. dropped 19 points on near-perfect 7-8 shooting from the field and 5-6 from three-point range. The sparkplug came off the bench firing, finishing with 25 points and eight rebounds on the night.

Michael Porter Jr.'s homecoming

Michael Porter Jr. receives a warm welcome in his return to Denver 👏 pic.twitter.com/L6ubgODcvg
— NBA (@NBA) January 30, 2026

The Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. to the Nets over the offseason in exchange for Cam Johnson, and he made an emphatic statement in his first game back in Denver. Despite the loss, Porter Jr. dropped 38 points and ten rebounds on 13-28 shooting from the field and 7-15 from beyond the arc. Sure, he took a lot of shots, but he had an incredible game and put on a show for the Denver fans who still showed him plenty of love.

Porter Jr. practically carried Brooklyn's offense, and was actually a team-high plus-12 in the four-point loss. The Nets did not have a great game, but Porter Jr. and his new team nearly did enough to pull off the upset win in Denver.

Nuggets' third quarter struggle

The Nuggets were clicking in the first half, especially while Hardaway Jr. was on the floor, but they came out after halftime sluggish and looking like a completely different team. The Nuggets led by as many as 19 in the second quarter and held a 15-point lead at halftime, but the third quarter took a turn for the worse.

The Nuggets scored just 15 points in the third quarter compared to Brooklyn's 29, allowing the Nets back into the game. Although they were not able to capitalize on the comeback, the Nets certainly made things interesting down the stretch.

Luckily, the Nuggets pulled out a win despite their struggles, and with a 32-16 record, they continue to hold on as they wait for Jokic to return from injury. They now move on to a challenging two-game stretch against the LA Clippers on Friday and the OKC Thunder on Sunday, where they will certainly need to perform better than they did in Thursday's win.

Michael Porter Jr.'s homecoming

Nuggets' third quarter struggle

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