In the latest edition of the Nuggets Ink podcast, Mike Singer and Matt Schubert check in two games into the Nuggets-Trail Blazers playoff series with things all tied up at 1-1 and Game 3 set for Thursday night. Among the topics discussed:

+ Michael Malone broke the glass in Game 2, calling on Aaron Gordon to take the emergency defensive assignment on Damian Lillard. How much more of that should we expect to see as the series goes on? Did Malone play the Gordon card earlier in the series than he wanted to?

+ The Nuggets have received significant contributions from the bench, from a big Game 2 performance from Paul Millsap to Markus Howard's surprise role in both games. Is this sustainable? When might Denver get reinforcements in the way of Will Barton and P.J. Dozier?

+ Nikola Jokic has had all of six assists combined in the first two games of the series — or two below his per game average during the regular season. How big of a deal is this for the Nuggets? And what can they do to open things up a bit more for the preternatural passer?

+ Things got chippy in Game 2, with plenty of jawing, fake fights and flopping between the Nuggets and Blazers. What is it about these two teams that brings out the nastiness? How has this become such a contentious rivalry?

+ The Nuggets just increased capacity for home playoff games, going past 10,000 for Game 5. How close was the atmosphere inside Ball Arena for Games 1 and 2 to typical playoff games? And how worried should Malone be about how his playoff newbies will respond to hitting the road for the first time in the postseason.