Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: Results, highlights from Portland's Game 7 win

Jordan Greer

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Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: Results, highlights from Portland's Game 7 win image

The Trail Blazers needed every single point from their star guard in order to eliminate the Nuggets in Sunday afternoon's Game 7 thriller. Oh, and we're talking about CJ McCollum, not Damian Lillard.

McCollum scored a game-high 37 points on 17-of-29 shooting, including multiple clutch shots down the stretch that helped close the door on Denver. Whenever it appeared the Nuggets were about to pull away in the first half, McCollum scored a timely bucket. Lillard went only 3-of-17 from the field, but he did contribute in other ways with 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

GAME 7: Three takeaways from Trail Blazers' win over Nuggets

Nikola Jokic had a big double-double (29 points, 13 rebounds) in Game 7, but the Nuggets only shot 37.1 percent as a team. Jamal Murray (17 points, 4-of-18 shooting) and Paul Millsap (10 points, 3-of-13 shooting) in particular struggled on the offensive end, and no one else stepped up with the game on the line. Denver has a bright future ahead, but this loss will sting.

Portland advances to play the Warriors in the 2019 Western Conference finals. It will be a quick turnaround for the Blazers with Game 1 on Tuesday night (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Sporting News provided live scoring updates and highlights from Game 7 between the Trail Blazers and Nuggets. Check out all of the big moments you missed below.

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: Results, highlights from Game 7

Game 7 box score

(All times Eastern)

Final: Trail Blazers 100, Nuggets 96

6:11 p.m. — Nikola Jokic launches a wild 3-point attempt, but his shot bounces off the rim into the hands of Evan Turner. He runs out the clock, and the Blazers are heading to the Western Conference finals. 

What an incredible comeback by Portland.

6:11 p.m. — Seth Curry fouls Nikola Jokic on the inbound pass. Jokic misses the first free throw and makes the second. On the ensuing possession, Evan Turner ends up with the ball and is fouled. He hits both free throws.

Trail Blazers 100, Nuggets 96 with 8.0 seconds on the clock. Denver has the ball.

6:04 p.m. — ICE IN HIS VEINS. CJ McCollum drains the pull-up to push Portland's advantage back to three. The Nuggets will need a 3-pointer with 11.4 seconds left.

6:01 p.m. — It's pure chaos in Denver. Let's set the scene: Trail Blazers 96, Nuggets 95 with 29.7 seconds left in regulation. Jamal Murray hit a midrange jumper to cut the deficit to one point, and now Portland will have possession of the ball. Here we go...

5:56 p.m. — Damian Lillard steal, relocate, boom. This has been far from Lillard's best game, but that's a huge play.

5:50 p.m. — WOW. CJ WITH THE INCREDIBLE CHASEDOWN BLOCK.

5:45 p.m. — It's been a rough afternoon for Jamal Murray (11 points, 3-of-16 from the field) and Paul Millsap (eight points, 3-of-12 from the field). The Nuggets need someone other than Nikola Jokic to make a play if they want to regain the lead. 

5:40 p.m. — The Trail Blazers hit the Nuggets with a 10-4 run at the beginning of the fourth, and Portland has the lead. What time is it? Dame Time.

End of third quarter: Nuggets 72, Trail Blazers 71

5:28 p.m. — If the Trail Blazers advance, every citizen of Portland will buy CJ McCollum a gift. He has a game-high 29 points (13-of-21 shooting) and seven rebounds in 33 minutes. The Blazers are only shooting 40.3 percent overall, including 1-of-19 from beyond the arc. McCollum has put the team on his back, and we've got a close on heading into the fourth.

5:22 p.m. — Official word from the Trail Blazers: Rodney Hood is questionable to return to Game 7.

5:11 p.m. — Rodney Hood is headed to the locker room after being drilled by a Torrey Craig screen. He appeared to grab his left knee as he fell down. That's a big loss for the Trail Blazers if he can't return.

5 p.m. — Zach Collins picks up his fourth foul early in the second half, but Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts is going to stick with him. Don't be surprised if the Nuggets attack him.

Halftime: Nuggets 48, Trail Blazers 39

4:43 p.m. — It feels like the Nuggets should have a larger lead heading into the locker room, but CJ McCollum's timely scoring kept the Trail Blazers alive. He's got 15 points (7-of-12 shooting), but Damian Lillard can't seem to break through Denver's defense (seven points, 1-of-9 shooting).

To no one's surprise, Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets with 13 points and five rebounds, but he surprisingly hasn't tallied an assist in 20 minutes of action. While it would have been nice to push the advantage to double-digits, Denver is in a good spot with only two quarters left in this series.

4:33 p.m. — A lot of foul trouble here. Enes Kanter, Seth Curry and Evan Turner each have two fouls for the Trail Blazers, and Zach Collins has three. Mason Plumlee and Will Barton each have two fouls for the Nuggets, and Paul Millsap has three. The frontcourt depth could be a factor to watch down the stretch.

4:26 p.m. — Damian Lillard is finally on the board after missing his first six shots. Maybe this little staredown from Monte Morris woke him up.

4:20 p.m. — Mason Plumlee tells Zach Collins to head back toward the weight room. (Collins actually had great position for the charge but didn't get the call.)

4:15 p.m. — The Trail Blazers have to make an outside shot at some point, right? Portland is 0-of-10 from 3-point range through the first 15 minutes of Game 7. The Blazers don't have a chance if they can't hit some of these open looks.

End of first quarter: Nuggets 29, Trail Blazers 17

4:07 p.m. — What a start for Denver. It's been a balanced scoring attack, as four different Nuggets players have at least six points. Outside of CJ McCollum, the Trail Blazers are struggling offensively, shooting less than 30 percent from the field. Damian Lillard is 0-of-5 from the field.

3:55 p.m. — The Nuggets look much more aggressive in this first quarter. They've jumped out to an early nine-point lead with 4:30 left in the opening period. Nikola Jokic (eight points) and Gary Harris (seven points) are outscoring the Trail Blazers by themselves.

3:47 p.m. — CJ McCollum wants all of the defenders on the floor and maybe a few off the bench.

3:41 p.m. — Gary Harris opens up the scoring with a traditional 3-point play. The Pepsi Center is definitely excited for this one.

3:35 p.m. — Almost game time in Denver. Here come the Nuggets to the delight of the home crowd...

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.