Trail Blazers 108, Nets 98
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds and the Blazers overcame a 40-point first quarter from the host Nets to notch their seventh straight win.
Wesley Matthews added 24 points and six boards for Portland (9-2), which trailed well into the third quarter. Damian Lillard chipped in with 19 points and a game-high nine assists for the Blazers, who held Brooklyn to 38 points in the middle two frames to take control of the game.
The Nets (3-7) got 23 points from Shaun Livingston while falling to 1-5 in their last six games. Kevin Garnett added 16 for Brooklyn, knocking down his first six field-goal attempts before finishing the game 8-of-19.
The Nets took a 63-56 lead into halftime, led by Garnett, who had 14 points by the break. Portland started chipping away after a back-and-forth start to the third, taking its first lead of the night at 71-69 on Aldridge's fade-away shot with 4:07 remaining in the period as part of a 9-0 Blazers run.
Portland would close the third with an 83-78 advantage and opened the final stanza with a 12-4 burst, powered by four apiece from Thomas Robinson and Mo Williams, to establish its first double-digit lead of the contest. Brooklyn pulled to within 105-96 on Paul Pierce's layup with 1:02 to play but could not inch any closer.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Nets are 0-6 on the season when outscored in the third quarter. ... Portland is 9-0 on the season when Aldridge grabs seven rebounds or more. ... F Andrei Kirilenko (back), PG Deron Williams (ankle) and C Brook Lopez (ankle) did not play for Brooklyn.