As is often the case during the exhibition season, the fourth quarter of Portland's 105-94 loss to the Denver Nuggets in their preseason opener Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Coliseum was turned over to rookies and players trying to earn contracts for the upcoming season, and for good reason. The quality of competition is still relatively close to what you'd see in a regular season game and the results don't matter, which makes for a suitable, low-pressure environment for NBA fledglings to hone their skills.
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., the 14th pick of the 2018 Draft who made his return to the court Tuesday night after sitting out what would have been his rookie season due to injury, took advantage of the opportunity in the second half after getting a DNP in the first, going 4-of-7 from the field for 9 points to go with three rebounds in 16 minutes.