The Trail Blazers secured a must-win Game 6 result against the Nuggets thanks to stellar contributions from a pair of bench players. Both Zach Collins and Rodney Hood supplemented the output from Portland’s star-studded backcourt to force a Game 7 in the Western Conference Semifinals. Hood supplied the fireworks on offense with his playoffs-best 25-point outburst. On the other end, the Blazers’ second-year big man delivered a solution to the Nuggets’ perplexing post duo of Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap.
Collins, a 21-year-old post player who is still adapting to the NBA, has registered back-to-back 14-point games.