Game 3 between the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets started as a battle between two premier Most Valuable Player candidates, and ended as a duel between two role players who spent time out of the NBA. For a brief time, it seemed the late-game brilliance of Carmelo Anthony would be enough to push the Trail Blazers over the top. Instead, Denver got timely shooting from Austin Rivers and a 36-point, 10-rebound performance from Nikola Jokic, helping themselves to a 120-115 victory and a 2-1 series edge.
When it mattered most, Rivers, who trudged through two months out of the league, looked as though he never left.