DENVER (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. has kept his focus on swishing shots, not the swirling trade rumors.
He’s tuned them out, in fact, and turned up his game. On Wednesday night, the Denver Nuggets' sharpshooting forward tied a career high with 39 points in a 144-119 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. This was after going for 36 points on Monday in a win over New Orleans.
Porter has been the subject of speculation ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. He did receive a boost of confidence after Monday's game when head coach Michael Malone simply said, “We’re not trading Michael Porter."
“I can’t control whether I get traded or not, so that was never something I was stressed about,” Porter said Wednesday night after a performance in which he also had 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in nearly 37 minutes. “But it is nice to be somewhere where you’re wanted, and to know that your coach is saying that. ... I know things can change quick in this league, and you’ve got to win, and you’ve got to produce, but it is good to know that you’re wanted somewhere.”
His jumper was smooth all night as he finished 16 of 23 from the field and drained five 3-pointers. His teammates got him the ball late in the game in order to attempt to break his career high, but his last jumper was off the mark. The Nuggets are 15-2 when Porter goes for 30 or more points.
“It wasn’t just the 39 and the pretty jump shot,” Malone said of Porter's big night. “It was the rebounding. It was the defense. It was the activity and the play making as well. So hats off to Michael for just impacting the game across the board.”
Trades, though, are simply part of the NBA business and this season has already produced some blockbusters. Nothing would surprise three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who had 38 points on Wednesday.
“Don’t take it personally. It’s a business. It’s a job,” Jokic said of his advice to teammates who may get dealt. “It’s not that you’re going to go do something else. You’re going to (another) team to play basketball. It can happen.
“That doesn’t mean that you’re a bad player, a good player. I think just maybe the team wants to change the energy. It’s a normal thing to happen in the NBA.”
Porter slid to Denver at No. 14 in the 2018 NBA draft due to a back injury that derailed his college career at Missouri. He sat out his first season in Denver after undergoing a back procedure in July 2018.
He signed a five-year maximum extension with the Nuggets in 2021. Over his career, Porter's a 41% shooter from 3-point range.
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