CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Moments before the end of the third quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers worked the ball around the perimeter of the court. One, two, three passes, trying to find an opening. Seconds ticked off. Finally, forward Ed Davis had the ball near the basket, and sank a layup.

Almost immediately, Charlotte guard Nicolas Batum was at the other end, sinking an easy fade-away jumper.

It all seemed to come just a little bit easier for the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night as they cruised to a monstrous early lead, withstood Portland's fourth-quarter rally and held onto a 106-94 victory over the Blazers at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Batum and Al Jefferson combined for 62 points as the Hornets worked their inside-outside game to perfection while building as much as a 29-point lead and a 71-45 advantage at halftime.

Charlotte's hot second-quarter shooting (66.7 percent) coincided with the Blazers' sudden offensive disappearance. Portland did not score a point until 7:31 remained in the quarter, and didn't score a field goal until Damian Lillard sank one with 5:46 before halftime.

"We just didn't defend," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "We left them play free and easy and they got to spots that they wanted to get to."

The Hornets made a concerted effort to get the ball to Jefferson deep in the post, where he works best. The result was 11 straight baskets from the Charlotte center, who didn't miss until 7:02 remaining in the third quarter. He finished with 29 points.

"They did give me the ball tonight in my sweet spot and it was a lot easier for me to operate," Jefferson said.

Meanwhile, Batum's 33 points continued a high-scoring streak that has lasted for three games in which he has averaged 28.3 points on 57.4-percent shooting. It is his best stretch of basketball since he was 15 years old, he said.

"My role is different now," said Batum, who played seven years in Portland before he was traded in the offseason to Charlotte. "I'm more aggressive. I was the third or fourth option (in Portland). ... Now, my role is different here."

Said Charlotte coach Steve Clifford: "He's playing with great confidence. He's shooting the ball really well. His decision-making is always really good. He has size, he has skill, he's a good competitor, and his basketball IQ is off the charts. He's playing at a really high level."

The Blazers battled back in the fourth quarter, thanks to a 16-0 run that helped narrow the Hornets' lead to 91-84 with 6:50 remaining.

The Hornets immediately pushed the offense through Batum, however, yielding seven straight points from the Charlotte guard.

"I've always been a fan of his game," said Blazers guard Damian Lillard. "To see him come here and do well and play at the level that he's playing at, I'm happy for him. I told him to keep playing that way."

Lillard led the Blazers with 23 points on 9-of-25 shooting.

The Blazers hit 39.3 percent of their field goals, compared to the Hornets' 49.4 percent.

NOTES: A moment of silence was held and the French national anthem was played before tipoff to honor those lost in the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. ... Hornets G Nicolas Batum, a French native, played Friday's game against Chicago just hours after learning of the terrorist attack in his home country. His sister lives two blocks from the site of one of the attacks. "He was very poised, very composed before the game in Chicago," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "And even (Saturday), I told him when we practiced, 'If you have things going on, just take care of that.' But he came in, practiced. I think in a lot of ways, it's his demeanor -- very bright, very conscientious, but he's really handled it very well." ... Sunday's game marked the Charlotte return of G Gerald Henderson and F Noah Vonleh. Both players were traded in the offseason in exchange for Batum. Henderson has played just two games this season because of a hip injury. Vonleh is averaging 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds. "I think for Noah, it's more about the future and looking toward his growth," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "He's a great kid, a great worker; one of the hardest workers I've been around."