Watch out Lakers? Nuggets on a roll and becoming trendy pick to advance to NBA Finals
For a while now, the storyline surrounding the Denver Nuggets was that they needed a third wheel to complement versatile center Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray.
When the Nuggets drafted Michael Porter Jr. in 2018, the thinking was that he could eventually become that player. Porter could have been the No. 1 pick in that draft but dropped to the Nuggets at No. 14 because of injury concerns. And since he’s been in the lineup, he’s shown only flashes of what the Nuggets had hoped for.
But whatever happens with Porter, the Nuggets have to be giddy about what Aaron Gordon can add.
Since trading for Gordon at the NBA trade deadline, the Nuggets have won all four of their games in which he has played. They have climbed to No. 4 in the Western Conference after a rough start to the season. But more than that, the Nuggets have shown the kind of depth that could make them an intriguing playoff team.
Gordon’s measurable numbers since the trade are nice enough: 14.3 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, 64% shooting from the field over 29.8 minutes. But it’s what he gives them on the defensive end that has the Nuggets riding high.
acquired for Nikola Vucevic in a trade deadline day deal with the Orlando Magic. But the Bulls have struggled for various reasons since the trade, threatening to fall out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
Vucevic helped them out of their slump on Sunday, scoring 22 points and adding 13 rebounds as the Bulls snapped a six-game losing skid with a 115-107 win over the short-handed Brooklyn Nets.
“We understand it’s going to take some time, and we’ve had some guys out of the lineup,” said Vucevic, who has played five games with the Bulls.
