Trail Blazers at Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets get the unenviable task of trying to stop Damian Lillard when they host the red-hot All-Star guard and the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. Lillard is enjoying a remarkable run in which he is averaging 48.8 points with four double-doubles and a triple-double over the last six games.
Lillard's 49 3-pointers are the most in history over a six-game span and his 293 points are tied with Kobe Bryant (2007) for the third-most over six games, behind a pair of runs from James Harden last season. "Teams are trying to get more aggressive and make it harder for me," Lillard told reporters after scoring 51 points in a win over Utah on Saturday. "I'm just making the plays that I see. When I see them being aggressive, I'm not backing out. I'm going to continue being aggressive against it instead of just giving in to it. Cause a reaction - pick out the help-side defenders and guys that are pulling over and trying to crowd the paint. Just moving the ball to where the help is coming from. Guys are making shots and making the right plays. It's pretty simple." The Nuggets are searching for consistency after knocking off the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks 127-115 on the road Friday before falling in overtime at the lowly Detroit Pistons on Sunday. "This is the end of a tough stretch, hopefully we can go home and get ready for two big division games coming up," Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters.
TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Northwest, Altitude
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (23-27): Lillard's run is propelling Portland to the win column and Saturday's triumph was the team's fourth straight and fifth in the last six games. "I think how we're competing, how we're playing together and our energy, the swagger that we've got about us - we're sustaining it," Lillard told reporters. "We're picking up quality wins against playoff teams, really good teams. We've just got to keep rolling." The Trail Blazers knocked off three teams ahead of them in the Western Conference the last three games, including a back-to-back over the Los Angeles Lakers and Jazz on Friday and Saturday, and will face two more this week with trips to Denver and Utah.
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (34-16): The highlight of Sunday's loss for Denver came from star center Nikola Jokic, who posted his 10th triple-double of the season and nearly dragged the team to a win. "Nikola for every minute he played, all 40 of them, (records) 39 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and was in attack mode the whole night," Malone told reporters. "(He) was looking to make plays." The Nuggets continue to play shorthanded with starters Jamal Murray (ankle) and Paul Millsap (knee) out but Will Barton is picking up some of the slack while averaging 20.7 points over the last three contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Nuggets F Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) sat out Sunday and is day-to-day.
2. Portland C Hassan Whiteside recorded 17 points and 21 rebounds on Saturday for his sixth consecutive double-double.
3. Denver took each of the first two meetings this season, including a 114-99 triumph at home in the most recent matchup on Dec. 12.