Michael Porter Jr. coming up big for the Nuggets as he plays through pain of sprained left shoulder

DENVER (AP) — Michael Porter Jr. hasn't really been able to take off his uniform by himself going on three weeks now because of a sprained left shoulder that has essentially turned him into a one-armed hoopster in these playoffs.

He can't really guide his jump-shot with his left hand ever since he sprained his left A.C. joint in a scramble for a loose ball in Round 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 22.

It's hard for him to corral rebounds with both hands and he sometimes winces when passes drift to his left side.

Not only that, but on the night he got hurt he revealed that the brace on his left foot was broken and that he'd had a hard time finding a replacement that fits properly. The brace helps him play through a condition called “dropped foot,” that resulted from his multiple back surgeries earlier in his career.

Yet, there he was picking up the slack on Nikola Jokic's off-night in Denver's 113-104 Game 3 overtime win Friday night over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

“Even though playing through it makes it heal slower, they know it’s not something that’s dangerous to play with, per se,” Porter said. “So, they’re trusting me to go out there and space the floor, make it easier on other guys if I can and then I’ve just got to contribute on the glass and defensively as best I can and be ready to knock down open shots.”

With his left shoulder heavily bandaged and pumped full of Lidocaine, Porter did all of that and more Friday night.

He scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting that included a 5-of-6 clip from deep and he pulled down eight rebounds, seven on the defensive glass, to counter OKC's swarming defense and offensive prowess.

“When they shoot the ball it feels like the whole world is in the paint,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. “And you just have to win those and sometimes the ball gets tipped and you’ve got to play through the elbows and win the 50-50 knockout defensive rebounds because that leads to controlling the pace and getting our guys in a two-man game late.”

With Porter contributing at both ends of the floor, the Nuggets hung with the Thunder until Aaron Gordon's late 3 sent it to overtime, where Denver outscored Oklahoma City 9-2.

Porter had expressed frustration after being held to 10 points total in Games 1 and 2 in Oklahoma City, where he shot a combined 3 for 18.

He at least felt a little more like himself Friday night.

“It's been tough, playoffs and I'm wanting to play at a high level,” Porter said.

Doctors told him sprained AC joints take four to six weeks to heal up enough for him to return to action. He said no way even knowing that he'd face severe limitations that would cut into his productivity and even playing time.

“Suiting up I knew there would be games where I couldn't produce like I wanted to or maybe I didn't play as much as I wanted to," Porter said. "But this is the playoffs and I wanted to go out there and at least try.

"It's been an up-and-down playoffs for me, but that's OK because we're in a good position as a team."

The Nuggets can take a 3-1 lead with a win Sunday afternoon at Ball Arena.

“When he first got hurt, it was like, damn, he's going to play through that? It's kind of crazy,” teammate Jamal Murray said. “People don't understand what he's played through and how much he's played through his whole career. It's just a testament to his resilience and his love for the game and his will to win.”

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, right, drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. defends in the second half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., left, hits a 3-point basket as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defends in overtime of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., right, shoots past Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren, left, in the first half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, left, fights for control of a loose ball with Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. in the second half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. reacts after hitting a 3-point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.

Another 119 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:

— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”

— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.

—“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.

Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”

— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.

People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)