The Denver Nuggets came into tonight with an opportunity to advance to the elimination round of the Las Vegas Summer League. In order to do it they\u2019d need a fourteen point win against the Portland Trail Blazers. Once again Denver\u2019s draft picks showed promise, plus Marc Sears had a nice game, but Portland proved to much to overcome and didn\u2019t even need the thirteen point handicap. Yang Hansen and Quincy Olivari proved to be too much and send the Nuggets to the consolation round behind a 108-101 loss.<\/p>\n
There wasn\u2019t much to write home about to open the game with both teams mustering only one basket a piece in the first two and a half minutes. Trevon Brazile picked up where he left off after last game with a nice floater and then followed that with a block on Hansen. Sears was also aggressive and got a couple of easy baskets. He scored nine of Denver\u2019s first eighteen points and helped them build an early lead. The Nuggets made a full line shift after that and lost their scoring touch. The Blazers used Denver\u2019s cold shooting to get back in the game. They weren\u2019t exactly burning down the nets though so the game was sill tied at eighteen with the quarter winding down. Eventually the Nuggets bench knocked down a couple shots. The Blazers were able to match their effort and the first ended with the teams tied at 25.<\/p>\n
Mark Sears knocks down the jumper \ud83d\udc4f<\/p>\n
He finishes the 1Q with 9 PTS (4-4 FGM) in NBA Summer League play on Prime! pic.twitter.com\/nmuLqUFxVu<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Once again the offense was slow to start the quarter. Denver eventually got it together around the eight minute mark and went on a 5-0 mini run to break the monotony. Hansen had a couple nice moments to help lead the Blazers response. Halfway through the quarter Denver clung to a small lead. Bryce Hopkins started to heat up and knocked down a pair of threes but Portland continued to have an answer. Olivari and Jaylen Martin hi a couple of threes of their own before Quincey missed a heat check. Still, that got the Blazers a 42-41 lead. After a timeout, Sears converted a four point play as he dueled with Olivari while the game stayed close towards the end of the half. The Nuggets got a floater from Sears off a nice full court play drawn up by J.J. Barea right before the end of the half and they went to the locker room up 50-48.<\/p>\n Quincy Olivari connects from DEEP \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n He has 10 PTS in the 2Q alone!<\/p>\n POR\/DEN NBA Summer League action is LIVE on Prime. pic.twitter.com\/1UEBvSpOtT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Brazile started the third with a couple of buckets and got the Nuggets an early advantage but then took a hard fall and looked like he tweaked his elbow. He stayed in the game while Olivari and Spears kept hitting shots. The game slowed down after that with both teams coming up empty on multiple possessions. The Blazers were getting a three here or there though and that got them the lead back on an 8-2 run. Portland kept pushing in front which put the game in jeopardy and Denver\u2019s chances of making the playoffs practically out of reach. Jahmi\u2019us Ramsey scored seven straight for the Nuggets and got them back into the game but another Blazers three gave them a 77-74 lead at the end of the third.<\/p>\n That’s our rooks \ud83d\udc4f pic.twitter.com\/hYJKv2B0Ts<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) July 17, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Denver was pretty sloppy with the ball to open the fourth which gave the Blazers a run and their biggest lead of the game. Frankie Fidler (real person, I promise) led the Portland attack and they quickly got in front by double digits. There was some rough play but the one bright spot on Denver\u2019s side was Hopkins who was quietly putting together another nice game. Brazile played aggressively and got himself some rebounds and free throws which led a Nuggets comeback to get them within one. The Blazers responded and pushed it back up to five while Denver settled for jumpers. They hit enough threes to stay in the game but Hansen picked up his game as the intensity of the game started to increase with the final quarter winding down. An Olivari three put Portland up by seven with under a minute to go and that would do it. The Nuggets drop to 2-2 in Summer League and are eliminated from the tournament (they\u2019ll still play one more exhibition game on Sunday) after a 108-101 loss.<\/p>\n Yang Hansen one-hand jam \ud83d\udca5<\/p>\n POR\/DEN NBA Summer League action is a 3-point game with under 2 minutes to play on Prime! pic.twitter.com\/SDSDdF6I5G<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Final Thoughts<\/p>\n Solid enough night from Brazile and Hopkins<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t all aces for Denver\u2019s draft picks like it was for Brazile in the last game but they still had a very solid night. You hope that Trevon can shoot the ball a little better (41% FG) but he showed off his ability to be a shot blocker and a finisher above the room. He ended the game with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Hopkins helped carry the scoring load as well. He played his patented style by taking the ball into the lane, seeking out contact and finishing near the basket. He also shot it well from outside. He finishes the game with 18 points (on 11 shots), 8 rebounds and 2 steals. With only one consolation game left, and a brief scare with Brazile\u2019s arm early in the third quarter, I\u2019d imagine we won\u2019t be seeing either of the Nuggets draftees on Sunday. Brazile\u2019s already under contract and Hopkins showed his worthy of a two-way deal at the very least (though with the way free agency is going he might end up with a full deal). There\u2019s really nothing left for those guys to do in Vegas.<\/p>\n Too much Summer League play<\/p>\n The Nuggets had an early lead but they were unable to keep it and unable to earn a victory because there was a lot of sloppy and sometimes even selfish play. That\u2019s to be expected when you\u2019re playing in Vegas in July and ultimately they weren\u2019t able to sustain positive play for long enough stretches to get a victory. Whether it was Sears, Ramsey or another Nugget most of their runs came on guys getting hot in iso for brief moments and it seemed like every run was canceled out quickly on the other end by an open Blazers three. Hansen also dominated the paint and led a major Portland advantage inside. There\u2019s no one on Denver\u2019s SL roster that can handle a 7\u20192\u2033 Jokic lite player.<\/p>\n Yang Hansen no-look dime \u27a1\ufe0f Jayson Kent two-hand jam<\/p>\n The @trailblazers<\/a> win in @NBASummerLeague<\/a> action against the Nuggets! pic.twitter.com\/19rgWZIBxB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2026<\/a>
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