MIAMI – Shots aren’t falling for Michael Porter Jr. or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but neither is confidence.

“For me, shooting and offense is natural. I can’t put too much stock into a couple rough games shooting-wise, even though I wish shots were falling, obviously,” Porter said before the Nuggets practice Thursday at Kaseya Center ahead of Friday’s Game 4 against the Miami Heat.

“Really, I’m just glad the team won. I know there’s going to be a couple games this series where the team is going to need me on the offensive end.”

Porter (3 for 19) and Caldwell-Pope (2 for 9) are a combined 5 for 27 from 3-point range through three games of the NBA Finals despite being the team’s most consistent shooters during the regular season. Caldwell-Pope shot 42.3% from deep on 4.2 attempts per game, the best mark of any player who averaged one or more attempted 3s per game. Porter managed a 41.4% on even higher volume, taking 7.3 3s per game.

“I’m not making shots, but that’s not going to stop me from playing defense, where my team needs me the most. To win a championship, it’s going to take defense, so I can’t let my offensive game, or me not making shots, affect that end,” Caldwell-Pope said.

“I just try to stay the same, get my shots up when I can. Just be ready to shoot within the game. My main focus is defense.”

Caldwell-Pope started Game 3 guarding Gabe Vincent, who finished 2 for 10 from the field for seven points. Porter started on Kevin Love, who hit a couple of 3s on five attempts for six points. While Porter missed both of his 3s in the first road game of the Finals, he did a better job elsewhere after a tough Game 2 performance. Porter grabbed seven rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, and did not commit a turnover.

“it’s been a couple of rough games for me. I think I played hard defensively … still tried to rebound the ball while I was out there,” Porter said.

“I wouldn’t even say I’m not feeling confident in my shot, I’m feeling pressure or anything like that. I’m just missing, you know what I mean? Sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in. I think a lot of shots have been right there, I’ve just missed.”

Teammates are confident that won’t be the case for long. As gifted a shooter as Porter is, the Nuggets need him to keep firing until he heats up again.

“I don’t think Mike has a bigger critic than himself. I think he’s hard on himself. We tell him just to keep shooting. That’s the one thing that this team has encouraged since I’ve been here, is when you get an open shot, shoot it. That doesn’t change whether you’re making it or missing it,” Aaron Gordon said.

“Mike is one of the best shooters on planet earth. He has one of the best jumpers that there is, of all time, one of the best jumpers.”

A slump-busting shooting performance in Game 4, could be just what the Nuggets need to return to Denver with a 3-1 series lead and chance to win the franchise’s first championship in front of their home crowd. Porter and Caldwell-Pope aren’t the only ones confident that could be the case.

“If he’s taking the right shots and we’re generating the right shots for him, I want him, I want KCP – two guys that we know are better than they showed in three games – they’ve got to keep shooting the ball because that is the only way they’re going to get out of that slump,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

“But we believe in Michael. He is our starting small forward. I have zero doubt he is going to have a very big game coming up here that is going to help us win this championship.”