Trail Blazers 105, Nuggets 103
Robin Lopez hit the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left and LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 39 points to go with 11 rebounds as visiting Portland edged Denver.
Damian Lillard added 17 points and six assists while Wesley Matthews scored 15 points for the Trail Blazers, who have won 11 of 12. Nicolas Batum recorded a season-high 13 assists and Aldridge handed out his only assist on the final play as Lopez capped an 11-point outing for Portland.
Ty Lawson had 24 points and 13 assists to lead the Nuggets, who fell off down the stretch on the second night of a back-to-back. Wilson Chandler contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds while Arron Afflalo scored 18 for Denver.
Lawson’s 3-pointer gave the Nuggets a 90-80 lead with 9:48 left before the Trail Blazers chipped away, grabbing the lead at 98-97 when Lillard capped a 7-0 burst with a layup. Aldridge’s layup gave Portland a 103-101 advantage with 1:46 to play and Afflalo countered with a tying layup but Lawson missed with a chance to give Denver the lead and turned it over on the next possession before Lopez’s game-winner.
The Nuggets led by as much as 13 points in the first half but Aldridge almost single-handedly kept the Trail Blazers in the game with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting as Denver took a 56-50 lead into the break. Afflalo’s jumper gave the Nuggets a 78-64 cushion with five minutes left in the third before Lillard responded with eight straight points and assisted on the next two baskets in a 12-0 run, but Portland settled for an 85-78 deficit heading to the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: J.J. Hickson had 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Danilo Gallinari added nine for the Denver reserves but missed the game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer. … Lawson has recorded a double-double in six straight games and eight of nine. … Aldridge went 16-of-30 from the field and is 27-of-47 in the last two games after going 10-of-37 in the previous two.