Luka Doncic finally had his breakout performance with the Lakers, leading Los Angeles to a convincing victory over the Denver Nuggets, who boasted a nine-game winning streak heading into the contest. Several players from the Nuggets underperformed, including Nikola Jokic, who scored just 12 points on seven attempts—however, Michael Porter Jr.’s poor showing is what stuck out most in the loss.
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MPJ has been tasked with stepping up as a consistent third option for Denver, who don’t possess the same roster depth they once did. The sixth-year forward often paces the team in three-point attempts, which can make or break how a game will turn out for the Nuggets.
Against the Lakers, Porter Jr. attempted just four threes but failed to contribute in other ways, as well.
Porter Jr. finished with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting, knocking down just one of his threes. He faded into the background of the offense a bit as Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets in scoring, but it’s clear that the team could have used his extra scoring punch in the 123-100 defeat.
At 35.7%, Porter Jr. had one of the worst field goal percentages of the game. He also struggled mightily in Denver’s first contest following the All-Star break, shooting a ghastly 2-for-11 in the Nuggets’ victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
However, before the break, the 26-year-old had posted three straight 30-plus point performances. Porter Jr’s shooting inconsistencies from game to game have been well-documented throughout his career, but the Lakers are one team that generally has his number.
Michael Porter Jr’s highs and lows against the Lakers
Michael Porter Jr has been known to shoot his team into or out of games as the Nuggets’ highest volume scorer outside of Jokic. He’s had to grow into that role, though, as he struggled mightily against the Lakers early in his career.
It took nine matchups against the Purple and Gold before Porter Jr. was able to drop 20 points against them, a 27-point performance last February.
Porter Jr. had scored 20 or more in his last four regular-season matchups before Saturday, but his earlier contests against the Lakers were plagued by inefficiency. Thanks to a trio of single-digit scoring performances in his first few matchups with Los Angeles, MPJ has now scored 13 points or less in seven of his 13 career games against the Lakers. The Nuggets are 7-6 in those contests.
Porter Jr. has averaged 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds for his career against the Lakers. Not terrible by any means, but underwhelming considering what we’ve come to expect from him. He has had a bit more success against the Lakers in the playoffs, though.
MPJ has contributed to the Nuggets’ playoff dominance
Porter Jr. has performed better with a larger sample size against the Lakers in the postseason. He had never scored 20 against L.A. in a series until Game 2 of the first round last year, but his four-straight performances of 20-plus following that first showing allowed the Nuggets to coast to an easy 4-1 series win.
His career-best against the Lakers came in Game 4, a 27-point outing that helped the Nuggets take control of the series. He has come a long way since his first series against L.A., where he failed to score more than 15 points in any game and bottomed out with just 9. Porter Jr. is averaging 16.9 points and 7.8 assists against the Lakers in the postseason, which has apparently been enough for Denver.
In MPJ’s 14 playoff games against L.A., the Nuggets are 9-5.
