C. J. McCollum scored 37 points for Portland, which overcame a 17-point first-half deficit.
DENVER — C. J. McCollum scored 37 points and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets, 100-96, on Sunday to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2000.
Evan Turner, who scored just 4 points in the first six games of the series, added 14, including 10 in the fourth quarter. The Trail Blazers will again be on the road, facing the two-time-defending N. B. A. champion Golden State Warriors beginning Tuesday night.
Nikola Jokic’s desperation 3-point attempt hit the rim, and Turner corralled the rebound and dribbled out the clock, sending the stunned crowd streaming to the exits at Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets had the best record in the league during the regular season but where they lost twice to Portland in the series.
The Nuggets raced to a 39-22 lead, and Game 7 was beginning to look a lot like Game 5, when Denver blew out Portland by 26 points in Denver. But Trail Blazers Coach Terry Stotts called a timeout with 7 minutes 26 seconds left in the second quarter, and his team began chipping away.
“There wasn’t going to be any quit,” Stotts said, adding, “It was just about regrouping.
