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With Damian Lillard still injured, and red-hot former Blazer Will Barton in town, nobody was sure what to expect. But the Blazers took care of business at Moda, securing a shaky yet solid victory over the scrappy Denver Nuggets, who attempted an unsuccessful 16 point fourth-quarter comeback.
The Blazers were led by CJ McCollum's 29 points and 4 assists. The Blazers had support spread out across the team, especially Allen Crabbe (20 points, 5 rebounds), Meyers Leonard (11 points, 5 rebounds), Moe Harkless (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Al-Farouq Aminu (14 points, 9 rebounds). And Barton has a monster night returning to his old home, finishing with 31 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Recap
Behind McCollum's 11 first quarter points, the Blazers held their own against the energetic Nuggets in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the teams did what they usually do: Toss haymakers at each other, leading to a Blazer run, followed by a Nuggets run, then repeat. Portland pulled ahead as the half reached the end, slowly taking a double digit lead before settling for a seven point advantage.
Halftime Score: Portland 58, Denver 51
The Blazers pressed the advantage to open the second half, quickly taking a 12 point lead. But Denver responded, as Barton helped his team pull within a few possessions. Then, much like the first half, Portland regained control. Meyers Leonard hit a few more three pointers, and Denver was staring at a double-digit deficit again. Portland spent much of the second half attempting to keep Denver at arm's reach, reaching a 16 point lead early in the fourth thanks to a Moe Harkless shot. Denver clawed back to single digits again, as Barton and Jameer Nelson made it a 7 point game. Barton continued his tear, helping cut the lead to as little as 5. But Crabbe swished a three, and McCollum followed it up with a jumper, and Portland was ahead by 8 points with 45 seconds left. Denver had no other challenges, and the Blazers walked away with their third win in a row.
What's Next
The Blazers head to the airport for a flight to Salt Lake City, where they play Thursday night against the Utah Jazz. Stay tuned tonight, with more coverage of this game from Dave Deckard.