Porter Jr. heads into playoffs against Lakers after trying week for family

Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. heads into playoffs against Lakers after trying week for family https://t.co/xxfyEcb6HN

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 20, 2024

Michael Porter Jr.’s coaches and teammates are rallying behind the Denver Nuggets starting forward who’s had a trying week as the NBA’s reigning champions head into their playoff opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Porter, 25, missed practice Friday to attend his younger brother Coban’s sentencing in a drunken driving crash that killed a 42-year-old woman last year.

Coban Porter, 22, a former guard at the University of Denver, received a six-year jail sentence, which came two days after another brother, former Toronto Raptors reserve Jontay Porter, 24, received a lifetime ban from the NBA for betting on basketball and disclosing confidential information to other bettors.

The specter of each brother’s punishment has hung over the family for some time, and that never appeared to adversely affect Michael Porter Jr. on the court, where he averaged 16.7 points and seven rebounds while missing just one game this season.

“It has not been easy for him. That’s why I give him credit, because he’s carrying so much in his heart and on his mind,” coach Michael Malone said. “For him to go out there and do the job that he’s doing, it speaks to how much strength that young man has.”

Jamal Murray said Porter’s family travails aren’t a topic of conversation in the locker room.

“I don’t think we’ve spoken to him about it. That’s just not something we talk about,” Murray said. “We’re just keeping it professional here and we all support him. He’s handling it really well. Obviously, it’s not easy. But yeah, we’re just letting him deal with it.”