Coach Michael Malone wants Michael Porter Jr. to shoot early and often. So he did. Porter scored 30 points on 11 of 16 shooting in the Nuggets’ 112-90 victory over the offensively-challenged Orlando Magic Thursday night at Ball Arena.

Michael Porter Jr. is keeping his focus on the rim, not the trade rumors. He’s tuned them out, in fact, and turned up his game.

Michael Porter Jr. led the charge with 39 efficient points, a fantastic all-around game that saw Porter tie his career-high in points. This was a game after Porter set a new season-high with 36 points on Monday night against these same Pelicans. Maybe he just really likes playing New Orleans?