Nuggets 108, Trail Blazers 104
DENVER -- Forward J.J. Hickson had 19 points and 13 rebounds against his former team and the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-104 on Monday night.
Rookie guard Emmanuel Mudiay finished with 18 points, including two free throws with 18.3 seconds left to hold off the Trail Blazers for Denver's first home win of the season.
Forward Kenneth Faried also scored 17 points for the Nuggets.
Guard Damian Lillard had a game-high 30 points and center Mason Plumlee had 15 points for Portland, which has lost two straight. The Trail Blazers blew an 18-point lead in losing to Detroit at home Sunday.
The teams traded runs at the start of the fourth quarter. Denver reeled off seven straight to go ahead 86-80 before guard C.J. McCollum scored seven of his 16 points to put Portland back in front.
The Nuggets tried to pull away after guard Will Barton scored five straight but a steal and dunk by forward Al-Farouq Aminu tied it at 93 with 4:50 remaining.
Hickson had a dunk and a layup on consecutive possessions to put Denver ahead for good. He hit four free throws down the stretch after starting the game 1-for-7 from the foul line.
The Nuggets trailed 70-68 after two free throws by McCollum midway through the third quarter before surging ahead. Mudiay hit a 3-pointer and Hickson and Faried had layups during an 11-2 run.
But Lillard, who missed his first three shots of the second half, awoke in the final minute of the third. He had a driving layup and was fouled while hitting a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left. He hit the free throw for a rare four-point play to put Portland ahead 80-79 heading into the fourth.
Lillard was the only Portland player in double figures in the first half with 20, which led all scorers. He had 10 in each of the first two quarters to help the Trail Blazers take a 58-57 lead at the break.
NOTES: Nuggets G Jameer Nelson (lower back injury) was a late scratch from the lineup. With C Joffrey Lauvergne missing his fourth game with a lower back strain, Denver had 11 players available. ... Portland guards Damian Lillard (190 points) and C.J. McCollum (151) are the first duo in franchise history to each score at least 150 points in the team's first seven games. ... NBA Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Kiki Vandeweghe was in attendance. Vandeweghe played for both teams and served as the Nuggets GM from 2001-06. ... Portland entered Monday 4-0 when outrebounding an opponent and 0-3 when getting outrebounded.