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 on Thursday night at Ball Arena.

Both games have been at home, where Colorado fans have been able to enjoy the Nikola Jokic of always (triple-double in the first game, 36 points in the second) while attending a 2-on-1 by Zion Williamson (a rare thing) and enjoying it with the most killer version of MPJr.

Wednesday night, on the eve of the deadline, Porter got down to business and showed again just how valuable he can be. He tied a career-high with 39 points on 16 of 23 shooting, hauled in 12 rebounds and dished four assists in Denver’s 144-119 rout of New Orleans. It was the Nuggets’ fourth consecutive win.