The Portland Trail Blazers dug themselves out of a rough start and left Denver with a 118-110 win, using a strong second half to erase a first-half deficit and snap an 18-game regular season losing streak against the Nuggets in Denver.
Portland trailed for most of the night, but the game turned after halftime. The Blazers outscored Denver by 16 points in the second half, and the offense finally found its rhythm after a sluggish opening stretch.
“I think we just caught a rhythm,” Jrue Holiday told Blazers courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam postgame. “It's no excuse but the altitude here is real, so I think coming out we just didn't really have legs. Came out a little slow, but got back to form.”
Deni Avdija paced Portland with 28 points, three rebounds and five assists, hitting 10 of 22 shots and 6 of 9 from the line. Damian Lillard had a quieter night from deep, but still finished with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists after going 5-for-11 from the field and 9-for-10 at the stripe.
Holiday gave the Blazers a huge lift off the bench. He nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 7-for-11 overall and 3-for-4 from three. Donovan Clingan also turned in a major night, recording his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 18 rebounds.
Denver got a monster scoring night from Jamal Murray, who finished with a game-high 35 points on 10-of-19 shooting and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. He also made all 11 of his free throws. Nikola Jokic added 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, going 10-for-22 from the floor.
Portland’s first-half shooting was shaky, especially early. The Blazers hit just 34.8 percent from the field and went 2-for-10 from three in the first quarter, but they steadied themselves in the second. Portland made 12 of 23 shots in the period, knocked down 6 of 13 from deep and went 9-for-10 at the free throw line.
Avdija’s third-quarter 3-pointer tied the game for the first time since the opening tip, and Portland grabbed its first lead less than a minute later when Holiday scored in the paint with about three and a half minutes left in the period.
Free throws were a major part of Denver’s early edge, but that advantage faded after halftime. The Nuggets went 21-for-26 at the line through two quarters, then attempted and made only eight free throws in the second half.
Portland finished at 46.7 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three and 81 percent at the free throw line. Denver shot 46.8 percent overall, 34.6 percent from deep and 85.3 percent on free throws.
The win pushes Portland to 5-1 on the season, while Denver drops to 3-3.
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For the Blazers, the return was always about more than one player, and the draft capital attached to the deal has given the franchise more flexibility as it tries to build forward. Milwaukees decision to waive Lillard to create cap room also underscored how much long-term financial maneuvering came with the trade, leaving Portland with a package that keeps gaining value as the Bucks continue to sort through the fallout. [Read more 🡒]
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Through the first six games, Cissoko has given the Blazers something beyond a temporary hot stretch. His shooting has improved, his activity on the other end has fit what the team needs, and the minutes he is getting do not feel accidental. Portland is intentionally making room for him, which says plenty about how the staff views his place in the rotation and how much confidence there is that this two-way impact can hold up. [Read more 🡒]