Donovan Clingan didn’t just survive a matchup with Nikola Jokic on Monday night. He helped swing the game.
Portland left Denver with a 118-110 road win and a 5-1 record, and the Blazers’ young center was right in the middle of it. Jokic still posted his usual all-around numbers - 26 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals - but Clingan made him earn nearly every touch, holding him to 10-of-22 shooting.
That kind of resistance is exactly why Clingan stood out as the night’s difference-maker. Portland has leaned into a clear identity under first-year head coach Micah Nori: Clingan and Toumani Camara bring the defense, while Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija handle the scoring load. Against Denver, that formula held up.
Clingan finished with 17 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks, and he did plenty of damage on the glass. Nine of those rebounds came on the offensive end, part of a Portland effort that produced 21 offensive boards as a team. In a game decided by extra chances and physicality, that mattered.
Nori has made the possession battle a constant talking point since taking over, and Clingan looks tailor-made for that approach. He also ended the night with the best plus-minus among Portland’s starters at +10, which lined up with what the eye test said all along: he was holding his own against one of the league’s toughest assignments.
There was another encouraging sign too. Clingan logged 32 minutes and never looked like a player just trying to hang on. He was active on both ends, defending Jokic, creating second opportunities and staying productive deep into the game.
That kind of center is expensive around the league. The Los Angeles Lakers’ steep offseason investment in Walker Kessler and the Indiana Pacers’ deal that cost them what became the No. 5 overall pick in the draft, Keaton Wagler, as part of the package for Ivica Zubac were cited as examples of the premium teams place on that type of frontcourt presence.
Clingan is already in that conversation.
For Portland, that matters even more because the Blazers landed him in a 2024 draft class that has only looked shakier as this season has gone on. Monday’s win was a strong result against a Western Conference contender on the road, and Clingan’s two-way impact was a major reason it happened.
At just 22, he’s already playing like a starting-caliber center, and he keeps getting better. With Victor Wembanyama, Jokic and Chet Holmgren among the elite frontcourt stars in the West, Portland’s path to contention will run through players like Clingan.
Monday night was another reminder that he belongs in that group of building blocks.
In Other News...
Blazers Finally Delivered The Kind Of Denver Win Fans Needed
For a franchise that had spent so long running into the same wall in Denver, this was the kind of road win Portland had been waiting to see. The Trail Blazers beat the Nuggets 118-110, finally snapping an 18-game regular season losing streak in Denver and doing it with a second-half surge that changed the feel of the night.
Portland outscored Denver by 16 points after halftime, and the balance of the win mattered as much as the result itself. Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard all played key roles in pushing the Blazers through, while Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic carried Denvers offense but could not keep the home team from slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers May Be Closer To A Win-Now Swing Than Fans Think
The early-season stumble in Utah has already started to ripple beyond the Jazz, and Portland is one of the teams watching closely. With the Jazz off to a 1-5 start and dealing with injuries, the conversation around Lauri Markkanen is no longer just about a talented scorer on a rebuilding roster. It is also about whether a team like the Trail Blazers, who have been searching for the right kind of swing, might see an opening before the February trade deadline.
For Portland, the appeal is easy to see. Markkanen would fit into the kind of forward-thinking move that could accelerate a reset without forcing the Blazers to abandon the long view entirely. Golden State has also been mentioned in the same breath, which only underscores how much interest a player of his caliber could draw if Utah decides to listen. The real question is not whether Markkanen would make sense for Portland, but whether the Jazz are ready to make a call that changes the market. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Just Got The Reset They Desperately Needed
Micah Nori is making a notable change in Portlands backcourt, turning to Scoot Henderson in the starting lineup while trimming Jrue Holidays minutes. It is the kind of adjustment that says as much about the Blazers present as it does their future, with Henderson now getting a bigger stage to show why the organization made him the No. 3 pick in 2023 after his season with the G League Ignite.
For Portland, the move adds another layer to the ongoing conversation about Hendersons long-term fit and whether he can settle into the point guard role the franchise has been projecting for him. Holidays reduced workload opens the door for a different look in the backcourt, and Henderson now has a chance to make his case in real time as the Blazers keep sorting out how their guard rotation should look going forward. [Read more 🡒]