Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. acknowledged the support he has received from his teammates amid a difficult time for him and his family.
"Definitely tried to compartmentalize, some bad and sad stuff happened to a couple of my brothers," he told reporters after Saturday's 114-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. "But I got, you know, 15, 16 more brothers in here, so I knew I had to be here for them and come in here and do my job and try to prepare to do it at a high level."
On Wednesday, the NBA banned Jontay Porter for betting on games and on one occasion providing inside information to a bettor. Days later, Coban Porter was sentenced to six years in prison after having pleaded guilty to DUI vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in connection to a fatal crash in January 2023.
Michael missed Friday's practice with the Nuggets to attend Coban's sentencing hearing. The 25-year-old said his teammates have individually reached out to him to offer whatever help they can.
"To have these guys understand why I missed practice yesterday and just had my back has been big for me," he said.
The Nuggets trailed the Lakers at halftime before outscoring Los Angeles by 14 points in the third quarter and taking control of the contest.
Porter played 38 minutes, finishing with 19 points, eight rebounds, one steal and two blocks.
The teams will return to the court Monday for Game 2 in Denver.
