National Basketball Association
Denver 124, Portland 95
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 14, 2021
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #44 Brett Nansel, #63 Derek Richardson
Attendance: 14583

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Bones Hyland scored 18 points, and the host Denver Nuggets beat the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers 124-95 on Sunday night.

Monte Morris finished with 15 points, Facundo Campazzo 13, and P.J. Dozier and JaMychal Green 12 each for Denver, which has won five straight and spoiled the homecoming of Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a former Nuggets player.

Portland guard Damian Lillard was out with what the team called an abdominal injury that he has dealt with in the past and that he aggravated Tuesday at the Los Angeles Clippers.

CJ McCollum scored 21, Anfernee Simons had 16 points and Nassir Little and Norman Powell finished with 13 apiece for the Blazers.

Denver was without guard Will Barton because of lower-back tightness. He dressed for the game but went to the locker room before the contest started and was officially ruled out at halftime.

The Nuggets grabbed a 21-6 lead with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Portland got within 24-13 later in the period, but Denver closed the period on a 9-4 run to take a 33-18 lead into the second.

It was a 14-point lead late in the second when the Blazers made a run to get within 58-49, but Denver stretched its lead again. Jokic's 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 0.2 seconds left gave the Nuggets a 67-53 lead at halftime.

Jokic hit a 3-pointer and a jumper out of halftime to increase Denver's lead to 72-56. Simons made a finger roll, but Gordon hit a jumper and Morris scored on a layup to put the Nuggets ahead 76-58.

Portland was down by 17 but got within 88-79 late in the third on a tip-in by Cody Zeller. Dozier drained a 3-pointer to put Denver back in front by 12 entering the fourth.

The Nuggets scored the first eight points of the final period to take a 98-79 lead with 9:45 left. Portland hit two straight, but a trio of 3-pointers made it 109-83, and Denver closed it out.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Denver
CJ McCollum 21 Scoring Nikola Jokic 28
Dennis Smith Jr. 5 Assists Nikola Jokic 9
Nassir Little 7 Rebounds Zeke Nnaji 10
Anfernee Simons 3 Free Throws Made Nah'Shon Hyland 4
Dennis Smith Jr. 3 Steals Monte Morris 3
Nassir Little 1 Blocks Jeff Green 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 95 43.8 13-39 12-13 22 36 4 8 13
Denver 124 52.2 19-40 11-14 29 49 1 9 11
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .778 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game at home against Toronto. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .500 after a loss.