The shorthanded Nuggets almost upset a hungry Trail Blazers team but couldn’t hold on to a fourth-quarter lead in a 125-115 loss.
Michael Porter Jr. continued his recent hot hand, leading the Nuggets for a third-straight night in scoring with 27 points to go along with 12 boards. Denver, unfortunately, couldn’t contain Portland star guard Damian Lillard, who hit 11 three-pointers en route to a game-high 45 points.
Here are the takeaways:
Barebones Nuggets run out of gas
The Nuggets were missing Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton III, Paul Millsap, Troy Daniels and Vlatko Cancar.