Paul Millsap was praised by his Denver Nuggets team mates and coach Michael Malone after Tuesday’s win over Portland Trail Blazers.
The Nuggets moved to within one win of the Western Conference Finals after they claimed a 124-98 victory at the Moda Center on Tuesday to establish a 3-2 lead in the series.
Center Nikola Jokic led the way for the Nuggets, contributing a game-high 25 points, but he was quick to praise the influence of power forward Millsap, who finished just a point behind the Serbian and also produced eight rebounds, a pair of blocks and a four-point play. “He was huge in everything – physicality, pace, offensively and defensively,” Jokic said of Millsap. “He was huge in today’s game.” Jokic was not the only one to praise the influence of Millsap, as coach Malone feels the 34-year-old’s experience has played a key role throughout the campaign.
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“His calm nature, his calm demeanour has an effect on our group,” Malone said. “[We have a] young team going through this for the first time. “When you can look to a four-time All-Star with 90 playoff games under his belt, it’s reassuring.
He is ‘the calm’ for our team and he has a tremendous impact on all of our young players.” Denver can seal their place in the Western Conference finals for the first time in a decade if they beat the Blazers in Game 6 on Thursday in Portland.
