Michael Porter Jr. stays focused on the court, not family struggles, as his Nuggets oust Lakers from playoffs

In the opening round of this year's NBA playoffs, it was hard to miss Michael Porter Jr. The forward excelled on both ends of the court and put up impressive stats in all five of the Nuggets games against the Lakers, despite family troubles that might have caused a major distraction for other players.  

One of Porter Jr.'s brothers, Javonte, was permanently banned from the NBA earlier this month after he (as a member of the Toronto Raptors) allegedly disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and wagered on games. Another brother, Coban, was sentenced to 6 years in jail 10 days ago for a deadly DUI crash in Denver. Porter Jr. testified in the courtroom at his brother's hearing, one day before Game 1.

Despite that, Porter Jr. had one of his best playoff series as a pro. Here were Porter Jr.'s stats in the series, which the Nuggets won 3-1:

Game 1: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
Game 2: 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
Game 3: 20 points, 10 rebounds
Game 4: 27 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal
Game 5: 26 points, 4 rebounds

Porter Jr. told reporters in the locker room after Game 1 that despite the emotions of seeing his family members struggling, he feels like he has to perform at his best for his teammates.

"Some bad and some sad stuff happened to a couple of my brothers," he said. "But I've got 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 do it at a high level."

Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic said he and his teammates are supporting Porter Jr. through the tough times.

"Of course family is the first thing, but we are some kind of family, too, so hopefully he's going to find peace and be in a good spot mentally," Jokic said.

Porter Jr. certainly overcame the personal struggles in the series and helped his Nuggets in a big way as they have advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals after a 108-106 win on Monday night.

"I've been through a lot in my career," Porter Jr. said. "It was another thing I have to play through."