The Brooklyn Nets star led a depleted roster to a close contest at Ball Arena before falling short.
Michael Porter Jr. received a thunderous ovation inside his former work arena in Denver.
He then nearly led his Brooklyn Nets to the upset against the Nuggets, but fell short 107-103 on Thursday night at Ball Arena.
Porter Jr. was traded to Brooklyn over the summer in a cost saving move by the Nuggets. Now he's hearing renewed trade chatter amid his massive contract -- plus Brooklyn struggling to win.
Still, MPJ remains beloved in the Rocky Mountains -- as fans gave him a strong ovation before the contest.
Denver once took him with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He later became a fan favorite for helping Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the rest of the Nuggets capture their first-ever NBA Finals title over the Miami Heat.
Porter Jr. then needed to carry a Nets roster stockpiled on injuries. He even needed to operate without Cam Thomas and Egor Demin -- both of whom on rest management due to injuries.
MPJ scored the first two baskets of the night from the free throw line. He then nailed a 26-foot three-point jumper that made it 5-0.
Porter ended the first quarter scoring 11 points. But he continued to erupt on the scoring side.
Porter tacked on nine more points and ended the first half with 20 points and six rebounds. He later helped spark a 16-4 Brooklyn run.
Porter ended his night hitting 38 points -- now a season-high mark. It's also the first time in his career that MPJ scored 35+ points in consecutive games. Again, he pulled off this feat amid trade chatter across league circles.
He became one of only three Brooklyn players to surpass double digits in scoring. Terance Mann, who earned the emergency start tonight, scored 12 points in 29 minutes. Nic Claxton, one of the few starters who entered injury-free, scored 10 points through 31 minutes of action and grabbed eight rebounds.
Nolan Traore returned to the starting lineup amid the injuries -- scoring nine through 30 minutes. Fellow rookie Danny Wolf got elevated to starter too; responding with seven points and four rebounds plus a blocked shot.
Jalen Wilson led the bench scoring with eight points while Day'Ron Sharpe pulled down nine rebounds and scored seven.
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