PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Denver Nuggets were undaunted, even when down 14 points in the third quarter and facing an antagonistic Portland crowd.
Nikola Jokic had 36 points and the Nuggets eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games with a 126-115 victory Thursday night.
"Nobody can take the fight out of us," Jokic said. "We will just go out there and fight and that's what we have been doing. We're never going to quit. Quit is not in our vocabulary."
Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points, including 22 in the opening quarter, for the third-seeded Nuggets. They await the outcome of the first-round series between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.
Denver advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the third consecutive season.
Damian Lillard finished with 28 points and 13 assists for the sixth-seeded Blazers.
Monte Morris hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to close Denver to 101-98 heading into the last period. Jokic hit a three-pointer to put Denver ahead 108-106 and the Nuggets stretched it to 117-108 on Austin Rivers' three-pointer with 3:52 left.
Portland tried to catch up, pulling to 121-115 on CJ McCollum's layup, but Aaron Gordon hit a corner three-pointer that all but sealed it for Denver with less than a minute to go.
"I think the key was when they were going on runs and we weren't playing our best every huddle was positive, staying engaged, demanding guys to be better, but staying together," Denver Coach Michael Malone said. "I think we've shown as a group that every time we hit adversity, most times, we never run from it. We buckle down, we embrace it, we find a way."
Portland crumbled in the final quarter, outscored 28-14.
"We didn't do what was necessary to win the series," Lillard said. "We've got to keep fighting, keep working and keep coming back to battle. Regardless of how it ended, we are always going to have our heads held high, have class. They won, congratulations to them, but it's back to the drawing board to us."
The Nuggets took a 3-2 lead in the series with a 147-140 double overtime victory in Denver on Tuesday night. It spoiled Lillard's epic playoff performance: He had 55 points, including 12 three-pointers, and 10 assists. It was the most three-pointers ever in a playoff game.
The Blazers needed big man Jusuf Nurkic to stay out of foul trouble. Tasked with defending Jokic, he fouled out in three of the first five games.
Nurkic didn't have a foul in the first half, but then had four quick fouls in the third quarter and had to head to the bench.
"I think one of the reasons is they just outplayed us," Nurkic said when asked about what went wrong for the Blazers. "I give them credit, they had a hell of a season."
Porter had six three-pointers in the first quarter alone, tying an NBA playoff record for most three-pointers a quarter.
"Here's a young man, 26 points in back-to-back games, and he's only a second-year player. So Mike is only gonna get better than he already is, which is a scary thought," Malone said. "It was important for Michael to get off to that start because he kind of kept us afloat."
Lillard hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Blazers a 68-61 lead at the half. He raised his arms to encourage the crowd as he headed off the floor.
At a glance
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Philadelphia 129, Washington 112
Philadelphia wins series 4-1.
Atlanta 103, New York 89
Atlanta wins series 4-1.
Utah 126, Memphis 110
Utah wins series 4-1.
Dallas 105, LA Clippers 100
Dallas leads series 3-2.
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Denver 126, Portland 115
Denver wins series 4-2.
Phoenix 113, LA Lakers 100
Phoenix wins series 4-2.
TODAY’S GAME All times Central
LA Clippers at Dallas, 8 p.m.
Dallas leads series 3-2.
