The Portland Trail Blazers thrashed the Denver Nuggets at home 93-75.
The Blazers went on a shooting clinic propelled by Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge who combined for 26 points in the first half. Denver went toe-to-toe with Portland in the first, tying the game at eight, but the Blazers went on a 12-0 run to take a 20-8 lead with under six minutes left. The Nuggets managed to stay close at the end of the first trailing 29-25.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored six of his 14 first half points in the second to outshine the Nuggets poor shooting performance. With the absence of Lawson, Lillard immediately capitalized his opportunity to take a 50-37 lead after the first two quarters.
Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews went on a shooting spree in the third, hitting four straight three point buckets to grab the biggest lead of the night 70-48. Alonzo Gee scored two straight to keep the Nuggets within striking distance 76-59.
The Nuggets made a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 10 with eight minutes left. The Blazers countered with an 11-0 run to take an 89-68 lead late in the fourth. LaMarcus Aldridge finished the game with a double-double 20 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists. Wilson Chandler led the Nuggets with 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
The Blazers improved to 3-2 while the Nuggets dropped to 2-5. The Trail Blazers will head to the pacific tomorrow as they face the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Nuggets will play their next game on Friday against the Warriors.