The Portland Trail Blazers led the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on the road wire-to-wire in the first half in a spirited tussle tonight. Portland didn’t give up that lead until five seconds left in the third quarter, but once it was gone, it never came back.
The Blazers faded in a hurry down the stretch to lose 112-103 to the mighty Nuggets for the second time in three nights.
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic did a lot of the damage, putting up 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Jamal Murray, a thorn in Portland’s side with 3-pointers, added 21 points.