Mark Kiszla: With ailing Michael Porter Jr. hurting the Nuggets, it's time to put Russell Westbrook in the starting lineup

OKLAHOMA CITY Can ailing Michael Porter Jr.

trust his body enough for the Nuggets to count on him in a street fight? Its the $35 million question in a NBA playoff series where push has already come to shove, and Denver has its collective back to the wall against Oklahoma City.

Porter is hurting.

And its hurting his team.

Im just so limited out there (on the court).

Im not able to do what I want to do, offensively, defensively, on the glass, Porter said Wednesday, when I asked about his current level of fitness.

Everythings so hard.

But thats not an excuse.

Ive got to play better if Im going to go out there and play.

With a major flex, the Thunder bullied the Nuggets 149-106 in Game 2.

Although the series is leveled at a victory apiece, its definitely tilting in the direction of Western Conferences top seed.

Against an OKC squad that can throw talent like haymakers at a foe, Denver center Nikola Jokic is trying to beat the Thunder with four and half men.

And Im not certain Porter is even half OK.

You can tell when he shoots it, hes having a hard time with a full release at the top of his shot.

Its almost like its stopping at 90 percent, 85 percent, said Nuggets coach David Adelman, also noting that in the fray under the basket, Porter cant grab a rebound with two hands.

The pain on MPJs face while he tried to do something as simple as remove his jersey in the Denver locker room made me wonder if Adelman must make a difficult decision and move Russell Westbrook into the starting lineup in place of Porter.

MPJ was MIA in Game 2.

Porter, who has been physically unstable from head to toe since the postseason began, didnt join the fray in Game 2 until it was way too little and much too late.

MPJ contributed his first basket of the night midway through the third period, when the Nuggets were trailing by 35 points.

If Im not able to perform out there, then they put somebody else in there thats able to perform better for the team, then thats what weve got to do, Porter said.

The left shoulder of Porter has been ailing since early in the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, when he took a hard fall going for a loose ball.

And know what might be worse? After a brace he wears recently broke, MPJ candidly admitted to having difficulty dealing with chronic drop foot that is the result of three back surgeries that might have sent lesser men to grab a lemonade and a rocking chair on the porch.

If it wasnt win-or-go-home time of the season, MPJ would be in the training room instead of on the court.

Its like do-or-die time for our team.

So I dont feel the pull to really rest (the shoulder), he said.

So theres no questioning Porters toughness.

But for the second season in a row, hes turning invisible in the playoffs.

MPJ averaged only 10.7 points per game when Minnesota unceremoniously ended the reign of the NBA champs in 2024.

Through nine games this postseason, that pretty jump shot of Porter is clanking off the rim at a 61 percentage rate and his scoring average has dipped to 9.6 points per game, almost cut in half from his regular-season average of 18.2.

When you have a (shoulder) sprain like this, immobilizing the joint is the best way to heal it.

And obviously I havent been able to do that with the games.

I chose to play, Porter said.

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault appears to have settled on a game plan to defeat the Nuggets.

And it aint pretty.

OKC cant stop Jokic.

So the Thunder will try to beat the worlds best player into submission.

After Aaron Gordon came off the turnbuckle at the last second to pin a loss on Oklahoma City in Game 1, there was a legit question: For all its obvious talent, was the Thunder built for the street fight that the NBA playoffs can be? After being rudely bounced by Dallas from the conference semifinals a year ago, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his crew rolled like Thunder through this regular season, winning 68 games.

OKC has seldom been challenged.

Allowing no argument in a quick sweep of Memphis in the first round of the playoffs, the Thunder had won 57 of 86 games by double digits.

So after an epic collapse in Game 1, it was fair to ask: We know this Oklahoma City team is as sweet as applesauce.

But is it just as soft? Well, the Thunder came out swinging in Game 2.

And the Nuggets never knew what hit them.

Denver was down 18-9 before Jokic took his first shoIt only got worse from there.

The only real fight the visitors put up all night was when Russell Westbrook took exception to Jokic getting roughed up by the OKC defense in the first quarter.

The always volatile Westbrook got slapped with a technical by his spirit animal, combative referee Scott Foster.

Those keeping score at home mightve run out of ink.

At the end of one period, OKC led 45-21.

The Thunder walked off the court with 87 points at intermission, the most scored in one half of playoff basketball by any team in NBA history.

At that point, the Nuggets couldve walked straight to the bus and headed to the OKC airport.

But they were forced to stay and have abuse heaped upon them.

After requiring 16 shots to score a meager 17 points, Joker mercifully fouled out before the third quarter was over, left to stew on the Denver bench until the final buzzer.

As strong and magnificent as Joker, the Thunder will wear him out if he doesnt get more help.

The Nuggets are paying MPJ $35.8 million this year.

His salary escalates to in excess of $38 million next season, and skyrockets to nearly $41 million for the 2026-27 campaign.

If Im going to go out there and play, Porter said, then Ive got to play well.

After the loss, Porter went straight to a tiny, makeshift workout room.

Alone with his pain and doubt, MPJ did lunges, grimacing under the weight of the dumbbells, willing his body to not fail the Nuggets now..

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