Michael Porter Jr.

Close enough to taste a victory, even with Denver’s historic two-man pairing threatening to steal their momentum, the Los Angeles Lakers were issued a harshly-timed reminder of just how impactful the Nuggets’ No. 3 scorer is. With the chaos reaching its apex, his Denver Nuggets teetering toward a turnover, and the need for a game-tying bucket of the utmost importance, Michael Porter Jr. shows how champions respond, relocating along the top of the 3-point arc to provide his teammate with a much-needed outlet. Matching his sky-high release point with equal confidence, the talented swingman raises up through traffic, burying a cold-blooded triple to force the game into a deadlock. As elite as the Association has to offer when it comes to third options, Porter Jr. helped supercharge a 20-point second-half comeback, fueling a win in which they only held a lead for 44 seconds. The sixth-year forward was reliable throughout, putting forth an efficient 22-point scoring night alongside nine rebounds, two steals, and six 3-pointers on April 22, 2024.