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OKLAHOMA CITY — Michael Porter Jr. is shouldering the blame for the Nuggets’ 3-2 series deficit, even if he physically can’t.
Without mention of his left shoulder injury, Porter said he was at fault for Denver’s Game 5 loss to the Thunder in brief comments made to The Denver Post late Tuesday night.
“We’ve played well enough to win the last two games,” Porter said at his locker room stall. “A lot of the reason we lost is because I’m not helping contribute. And that’s tough. That’s really tough. I’m looking at myself individually and how I can try to help the team win, because I haven’t been doing that. I haven’t been contributing in any way right now.”
Porter, 26, posted nearly identical stat lines in Games 4 and 5 of the second-round playoff series. He shot 1 for 7 from the field and 0 for 5 outside the arc in both games, scoring three points in Game 4 and two points in Game 5.
After Jalen Williams put the Thunder ahead 106-103 with 1:19 remaining Tuesday, the Nuggets called a timeout to set up their offense. The shot they generated was a game-tying 3-point attempt for Porter, who missed with 1:08 to go.
That turned out to be their last opportunity to pull even. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander buried a triple at the other end. Then Porter airballed another 3-point try on Denver’s next possession, effectively ending whatever slim chance remained.
“Nobody wants to miss shots, of course, and he’s probably one of the best shooters in the league,” said Nikola Jokic, who scored 44 points in the loss. “When he cannot make shots, he is definitely frustrated with himself. But he’s open. He needs to take it. We want him to take a shot. Keep shooting.”
The Nuggets don’t have many other options. Porter is their third-highest paid player, a 6-foot-10 marksman who’s 40.6% from the 3-point line in his career. In his series, he has missed 20 of 27 attempts (26%) for 7.2 points per game.
Since the first round, Porter has been playing with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder — an injury that team athletic trainers told him would ordinarily require a four- or five-week recovery. Teammates have roundly supported him throughout the playoffs, as the results of his pain have been inconsistent. “He has all my respect,” Aaron Gordon said recently. “I know the AC joint. It’s not fun. Not fun. So I respect him. The dude’s a warrior. Tough as hell, and we love him for it.”
With an injection of lidocaine and a massive pad shrouding the injured shoulder, he helped the Nuggets win Game 3 with a 7-for-10 shooting performance for 21 points.
But since that one step forward, he has taken two steps back.
“They always have my back, but they want to win as well,” Porter told The Post, saying he felt that he’s letting his teammates down. “And I want to win, too. So if I’m gonna go out there and play, then I need to help contribute. But we’ve got another game, and I’ve got to stay locked in and be ready to try to turn it around and help my team.
“We can’t lose hope until there’s no hope to be had.”
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/05/14/michael-porter-jr-nuggets-thunder-stats-shoulder-injury/
The Denver Nuggets faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their second-round NBA Playoffs matchup at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. OKC won 112-105 and leads the series 3-2.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/05/13/nuggets-thunder-game-5-nba-playoffs-photos/
Instant reaction from the Nuggets’ 112-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their second-round NBA Playoffs series:
1. Will Jokic ever get a big call?: Fadeaway 3-pointer? It’s back. Tips to self? Also back. On the plus side, Nikola Jokic found his legs again. If only he could find a whistle. With six minutes left in a tie game, the Joker had taken 21 shots — and had gone to the line once. And that one foul shot came with 6:13 to go in the first quarter. OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shows fouls to officials all the time. So, Jokic did the same with Jaylin Williams draped all over him with 3:47 left in the third quarter. As Williams clung to him the way a remora fish clings to the belly of a shark, the refs looked at the carnage — and immediately whistled Joker for a ticky-tack offensive foul. If the zebras were trying to send a message in this game, it must’ve been in Esperanto.
2. SGA’s weakness? A 2-3 zone: Who knew Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Kryptonite was a 2-3 zone? Nuggets interim coach David Adleman did, apparently. Somewhere, ex-Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim had to be proud, as the Nuggets used a popular (and basic) collegiate defense to render the best scorer in the NBA completely helpless on his home floor. While OKC fans looked on in stunned silence, SGA looked as if he’d never seen a zone before, perplexed by Denver’s looks while forcing shot after shot. The presumptive ’24-25 MVP put up a first-half stat line to forget: 4-of-11 shooting, 0 for 1 on treys, 11 points at the break. Even better, the Nuggets won the early non-Joker minutes of the second quarter, outscoring the hosts 8-7 without the Big Honey on the floor.
3. Rallying from the inside: Props to Adelman and his staff for a well-timed, um, timeout early on. The Thunder had raced out to a 12-2 lead, the Paycom Center was rocking (again), and you worried that this might turn into Game 2 Part II. But a funny thing happened on the way to oblivion — the Nuggets re-dedicated themselves to going inside to get buckets. And it worked. Denver made five straight shots inside the paint, turning a 10-point early deficit into a 16-14 lead. The Nuggets, who’d struggled to get looks down low in Games 1-4, led OKC in points in the paint 12-8 midway through the opening stanza. Context: Denver managed 20 points in the paint for the entire afternoon in Game 4 and 28 over the whole contest in Game 2.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/05/13/nuggets-thunder-game-5-nikola-jokic-whistle/
OKLAHOMA CITY — Deep in tornado alley, Lu Dort brought the Thunder to Denver’s season.
The Nuggets haven’t quite been struck by lightning yet, but they are on the brink of elimination after a 112-105 Game 5 loss Tuesday in Oklahoma City, where Dort’s 3-point barrage ignited a comeback by the top-seeded hosts. Denver led by as many as 12 in the second half.
Game 6 is Thursday (6:30 p.m. MT) at Ball Arena. The Nuggets must win twice in a row to vanquish a juggernaut of an opponent that won 68 games this season.
Jalen Williams buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:19 to go, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doubled the Thunder’s lead with a dagger on the next possession.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 26 of the Nuggets’ 31 points in the third quarter, briefly taking over a game that shouldn’t have been theirs to win. Then, interim coach David Adelman kept them on the court with a single-digit lead to start the fourth quarter, and Denver went seven minutes without a field goal as Paycom Center reached suffocating levels of volume to match the defense.
Gilgeous-Alexander buried a midrange jumper while getting fouled by Murray with 2:02 left, the 3-point play giving Oklahoma City a 103-100 lead. Jokic answered with the Sombor Shuffle of all Sombor Shuffles, a fading triple over Chet Holmgren to tie with 1:39 left.
Not even his magic was enough to overcome the top seed in the West. Jokic finished with 44 efficient points and 15 rebounds in his best game of the series. Murray was clunky with his decisions and shot at times, but he found his way to 26 points.
The rest of the Nuggets combined to make just 13 of 45 shots.
Oklahoma City was steady across the board, led by Gilgeous-Alexander’s 29 points, six rebounds and seven assists but supplemented by more role player dependability. The Nuggets were held to 19 points in the final frame.
Jokic’s last three games were as troubling as any slump in his career. He averaged 21.3 points, 5.3 turnovers and 5.0 assists. He shot 33% from the floor, 18% from the perimeter and even missed a pair of crucial free throws late in Denver’s Game 4 loss. Discombobulated by Oklahoma City’s compact defense, encumbered by his right elbow, preoccupied with his perceived lack of a whistle, he was a superstar letting his team down.
But the Nuggets entered this swing game in Oklahoma City with a 6-0 record under these circumstances in the Jokic era — tied 2-2 in a Game 5. They might not always win the series. But they are masters of going up 3-2. More specifically, Jokic is. His Game 5 against Minnesota in the second round last year might go down in history as his forgotten magnum opus because of what happened next.
He showed up to this one in usual Game 5 mode — comfortable working at his own pace against OKC’s pests, confident in his touch despite the recent wonkiness. His first half was littered with increasingly ridiculous highlights: a lefty hook over Isaiah Hartenstein, a potpourri of 3s with hands in his face, a sarcastic stare-down after his defender tried taking a charge, followed by a pass to himself off the backboard to simplify the finish.
The Thunder wouldn’t fade. The opportunities to do so were plenty. Oklahoma City finished the first half on a 9-0 run immediately after encountering a double-digit deficit for the first time in the series. Right as Jokic and Murray were seemingly going for the jugular in the third, OKC answered with a miniature 10-4 push to cut Denver’s lead in half.
And a slumping Dort, whose uncalibrated shot prevented him from closing Game 4, suddenly knocked down a trio of 3s to save the Thunder’s season in the fourth quarter. The last of them closed it to 92-90 and forced a timeout from Adelman, who has been comfortable living with the whims of Oklahoma City’s role players throughout this series.
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.
https://www.denverpost.com/2025/05/13/nuggets-thunder-game-5-score-nikola-jokic/
High school scores and top performers from Saturday, May 10. Check here for past score reports.
Softball
Regional semifinals
CLASS 7A REGION 1
Tuesday
Hagerty 4, Creekside 2
Buzz: Alexis Felker had a home run and 3 RBIs for Hagerty, while Nikki Thompson and Lexi Beldowicz each went 2 for 3, and Ella Verne had 10 strikeouts in the complete game pitching win.
Lake Brantley 9, Apopka 2
Buzz: Auriana Turner went 3 for 3 with a home run and double for 4 RBIs for Lake Brantley, while Rylin Sprague went 1 for 3 with a double and 2 RBIs.
Thursday
Championship: No. 2 Hagerty (22-6) at No. 1 Lake Brantley (25-3)
CLASS 7A REGION 2
Tuesday
Wellington 5, Centennial 0
Jupiter 3, Boone 1
Buzz: Sarai Collazo went 1 for 3 with an RBI for Boone (15-11).
Thursday
Championship: No. 2 Jupiter (20-5) at No. 1 Wellington (20-4)
CLASS 7A REGION 3
Tuesday
No. 5 Sarasota (19-7) at No. 1 East Ridge (22-5)
Sumner 3, Newsome 2
Thursday
Championship: No. 6 Sumner (19-10) vs. SAR-ER winner
CLASS 6A REGION 1
Tuesday
Pace 5, Oakleaf 0
Navarre 13, Horizon 4
Buzz: Morgyn Welch went 2 for 3 with a home run and double for 4 RBIs for Horizon (21-7).
Thursday
Championship: No. 3 Navarre (15-9) at No. 1 Pace (22-3)
CLASS 6A REGION 2
Tuesday
Bloomingdale 2, Palm Beach Gardens 1
Bartow 7, Lake Howell 4
Buzz: Jordan Hodosko went 1 for 3 with a home run for 3 RBIs for Lake Howell (22-5) in the loss, while Rhianna Hudson also went 1 for 3 with a home run for an RBI.
Thursday
Championship: No. 4 Bloomingdale (18-7) at No. 3 Bartow (22-7)
CLASS 5A REGION 2
Tuesday
Winter Springs 11, Sebring 4
Buzz: Tiffany Seemann went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs for Winter Springs, while Abigail Hooper went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and Kennedy Jackson added 2 hits and 2 RBIs.
Gainesville 1, Springstead 0
Thursday
Championship: No. 3 Gainesville (17-7) at No. 1 Winter Springs (21-8)
CLASS 4A REGION 2
Tuesday
Lake Wales 8, Lake Region 7
Eau Gallie 10, Tavares 0
Thursday
Championship: No. 4 Lake Wales (16-9) at No. 2 Eau Gallie (22-6)
CLASS 3A REGION 2
Tuesday
Crystal River 1, The Villages Charter 0
Eustis 8, South Sumter 1
Buzz: Brooklynn Mason went 2 for 4 with a double for 3 RBIs for Eustis, while Brooklynn Mason went 2 for 2 with a double and 3 RBIs.
Thursday
Championship: No. 3 Crystal River (24-5) at No. 1 Eustis (21-4)
CLASS 2A REGION 2
Tuesday
Ocala Trinity 2, Melbourne Central Catholic 0
Montverde Academy 10, Cornerstone Charter Academy 4
Buzz: Nevaeh Williams went 1 for 1 with a triple and 3 RBIs for Montverde, while Addison Poe went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs.
Thursday
Championship: No. 2 Ocala Trinity (21-8) at No. 1 Montverde Academy (27-2)
CLASS 1A REGION 2
Tuesday
Foundation Academy 11, Lakeland Christian 1
Buzz: Norah Ranaudo went 2 for 3 with a home run for 2 RBIs for Foundation, while Kena Terry went 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs.
Geneva 16, Master’s Academy 2
Buzz: Ella Ingram went 2 for 3 with a home run and triple for 6 RBIs for Geneva, while Dallas Esperas went 3 for 4 with a double and 5 RBIs. For Master’s Academy (14-13), Lauren McMeel had a home run and 2 RBIs.
Thursday
Championship: No. 2 Geneva School (20-3) at No. 1 Foundation Academy (17-7)
Boys Volleyball
CLASS 3A REGION 1
Semifinals
Timber Creek defeated Creekside, 3-0
Winter Park defeated Lake Brantley, 3-0
Tuesday
Final: Winter Park 3, Timber Creek 0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-17)
CLASS 3A REGION 2
Semifinals
Freedom defeated George Jenkins, 3-0
Horizon defeated Cypress Creek, 3-0
Tuesday
Final: Horizon 3, Freedom 2 (20-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 17-15)
CLASS 2A REGION 2
Semifinals
Lake Howell defeated Lake Buena Vista, 3-0
Bishop Moore defeated Winter Springs, 3-0
Tuesday
Final: Lake Howell 3, Bishop Moore 0
Buzz: The Silverhawks (27-2) swept Bishop Moore (25-17, 25-21, 25-16). Alex Cameron had 9 kills and 10 digs for the Hornets (21-9) in the loss, while Marc Callejas had 10 digs, and Gabe Callejas added 19 assists.
Baseball
FHSAA State Tournament
At Lee Health Sports Complex, Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers
CLASS 7A
Friday semifinals
No. 1 Stoneman Douglas (29-2) vs. No. 4 Alonso (21-12), 4 p.m.
No. 2 Hagerty (29-6-1) vs. No. 3 Jupiter (25-9), 7 p.m.
Championship on Saturday at 5 p.m.
CLASS 6A
Friday semifinals
No. 1 Buchholz (32-2) vs. No. 4 Wharton (27-7), 10 a.m.
No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas (27-6-1) vs. No. 3 Bloomingdale (28-6), 1 p.m.
Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m.
CLASS 5A
Thursday semifinals
No. 1 Lincoln (24-10) vs. No. 4 Wesley Chapel (18-14), 10 a.m.
No. 2 Mater Academy (23-9-1) vs. No. 3 Fort Myers (22-11), 1 p.m.
Championship on Saturday at 11 a.m.
CLASS 4A
Semifinals on Monday, May 19
No. 1 Jesuit (25-9) vs. No. 4 Mulberry (26-9), 4 p.m.
No. 2 American Heritage (27-6) vs. No. 3 Arnold (27-7), 7 p.m.
Championship on Tuesday, May 20 at 7 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Semifinals on Monday, May 19
No. 1 South Walton (30-3) vs. No. 4 Hernando (20-15), 10 a.m.
No. 2 Bishop Verot (32-2) vs. No. 3 Miami Springs (26-3), 1 p.m.
Championship on Tuesday, May 20 at 4 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Semifinals on Tuesday, May 20
No. 1 Trinity Christian (29-4) vs. No. 4 Berkeley Prep (25-9), 10 a.m.
No. 2 The First Academy (28-4) vs. No. 3 St. Andrew’s (22-6), 1 p.m.
Championship on Wednesday, May 21 at noon
CLASS 1A
Wednesday semifinals
No. 1 St. John’s Country Day (25-8) vs. No. 4 Brito (16-13), 4 p.m.
No. 2 Canterbury (24-11) vs. No. 3 Orangewood Christian (21-10), 7 p.m.
Championship on Thursday at 7 p.m.
RURAL CLASS
Wednesday semifinals
No. 1 Holmes County (24-4) vs. No. 4 Port St. Joe (19-10), 10 a.m.
No. 2 Lafayette (24-2) vs. No. 3 Trenton (24-4), 1 p.m.
Championship on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandoSentinel.com.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/05/13/high-school-scores-and-top-performers-from-tuesday-may-13/
