Trail Blazers-Nuggets Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Mar 06 2010 7:13PM

The Portland Trail Blazers have suddenly been finding success by pushing the ball up the court.

Their next opponent is quite familiar with running this kind of offense.

Looking to win their fourth game in a row, the Trail Blazers try to keep up with the high-powered Denver Nuggets on Sunday night at the Pepsi Center.

Portland (37-27) is known more for its solid defense, which allows an average of 94.9 points, but it's been the offense that has carried the team over the past week.

The Blazers, in the mix for one of the final Western Conference playoff spots, have scored more than 100 points in six straight games for the first time since Feb. 4-17, 1998. Portland, which is 5-1 since Feb. 23, had reached the century mark just five times in its previous 17 games.

"It's a good sign,'' Blazers coach Nate McMillan said after Wednesday's 102-79 win over Indiana. "To move the ball, set good screens, don't ball and fake the open man. We've got guys who can put the ball in the basket.''

Brandon Roy had a team-high 22 points against the Pacers, and has keyed this offensive turnaround. The three-time All-Star, who missed 12 straight games before the All-Star break with a right hamstring injury, has topped the 20-point mark in six of his last seven contests.

Roy had one of his best performances of the season in Portland's last game against the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets, scoring 41 in a 107-96 home win on Christmas. Chauncey Billups sat out the entire second half with an injured groin and Denver's offense sputtered in his absence.

With Billups back at full strength, it could be a different story. The Nuggets, 14-2 at home since Jan. 5, have won 11 of 12 against the Blazers in Denver since Carmelo Anthony's rookie season in 2003-04.

While Portland has recently turned to a fast-paced offense, this style has served as Denver's blueprint for success all season. The Nuggets are among the league leaders in scoring with an average of 107.5 points per game, and have won 17 of 18 when reaching the 100-point mark.

Denver (41-21) is coming off Friday's 122-114 win over Indiana to improve to 26-0 when scoring at least 107 points.

Anthony had 34 points for his second consecutive 30-point performance after going a season-high six straight games without reaching that mark. The three-time All-Star averaged 22.5 points during that stretch before breaking through for 30 on 11-of-19 shooting in Wednesday's 119-90 win over Oklahoma City, just hours after being treated for dehydration.

Anthony received additional intravenous fluids after Friday's game, and said he wouldn't be surprised if he had to get more IV treatments in the coming days and weeks to help him hold up as the Nuggets make their playoff push.

"The way that we play, the way I play, the traveling, it can wear on anybody,'' he said. "The last week and a half, it's been wearing on me.''

Anthony scored 32 against the Blazers in December and 41 in this season's only other meeting, a 97-94 win on Oct. 29 in Portland.

Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Anthony's 30 leads Nuggets past Blazers

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.com
Posted Monday March 8, 2010 2:35AM

DENVER (NBA.com exclusive) -- Arron Afflalo is so soft-spoken and unassuming that Nuggets coach George Karl sometimes doesn't realize how much time he's giving the shooting guard.

"There are nights I think he's played only 20 minutes and I look at the stat sheet and he's played 32 minutes," Karl said. "That usually means I like what he's doing."

Lately, the Nuggets love what he's doing, and Sunday night was no different. As always, Afflalo drew the tough defensive assignment in Portland's Brandon Roy. As always, he did his job, helping to hold Roy to 3-for-14 shooting in Denver's 118-106 win.

As always, Afflalo tried to deflect praise.

"It was a good team effort," he said. "Chauncey (Billups) did a great job, (Anthony Carter) did a great job, made him take tough shots."

Roy's not the first guard to have a tough night against Afflalo. A week ago the Lakers' Kobe Bryant shot 3-for-17 with Afflalo guarding him.

When Jerryd Bayless, who led Portland with 24 points, started heating up Sunday night, Karl put Afflalo on him.

"He's big and he's committed," Karl said of Afflalo. "He tries to take tendencies. He's taking the challenge to another level. He's turned into something he's very comfortable with."

That's important for the Nuggets, who are starting a potentially uncomfortable week. Kenyon Martin sat out his second straight game with left knee patella tendinitis. He had an MRI on the knee last weekend to see if the injury was more serious, and the results should come Monday or Tuesday.

"I'm going to stay optimistic," Karl said. "I'm pretty optimistic good things will happen."

If Martin, their leading rebounder and top defender, is out for a significant amount of time the Nuggets got a look at what they can do without him. Johan Petro started in his place and had a game-high 10 rebounds in 23 minutes. Nene and Chris Andersen were factors on defense, and helped hold the Trail Blazers to 42.7 percent shooting.

"We didn't establish an offensive rhythm the entire game," Roy said.

The Nuggets sure did. They shot 68 percent in the first half and 58.9 percent for the game to go along with 31 assists.

"When we pass the ball and play with intensity defensively we're a damn good basketball team," Karl said.

Using that style the Nuggets built a 20-point lead in the first half and led 66-49 at intermission. The Blazers made it interesting a few times but could never seriously threaten.

In the fourth quarter they had a chance to cut it to five, but Carter deflected a pass to Petro, who fed Carter for a breakaway layup to spark an 8-0 Denver run.

Later, Rudy Fernandez hit a 3-pointer to pull Portland within 107-100, but two free throws by Afflalo and a 3-pointer by Smith pushed the lead to 12 again with 2:30 left.

"Every time we would get it under 10 we would turn the ball over, missed some free throws or did something to allow them to get momentum back," Portland coach Nate McMillan said.

When the Nuggets needed a big bucket, they would turn to Carmelo Anthony, who finished with 30 points and five assists, or Smith, who scored 22.

"It's that time of year where I've got to start taking over, not so much scoring the basketball but making guys better," Anthony said.

Denver swept its three-game homestand to keep pace with the streaking Mavericks, who have won 11 straight. The Nuggets start a four-game road trip Wednesday in Minnesota, but they won't have Karl for at least the first game.

Karl, who is battling neck and throat cancer, will have surgery Monday morning to have a feeding tube put in his stomach, and then he will have another round of chemotherapy Tuesday.

With Karl away from the team, assistant coach Adrian Dantley will be in charge and try to keep Karl's goal of a strong month despite playing nine of the last 12 on the road.

"Have a double-digit total in March and come April 1 you'll kind of know what you have to do," Karl said. "I don't think anybody's going to figure it until April 1, but we've got to get 10 wins or more in March. If we do that there will be some great games in April."

• Trail Blazers: Camby, Oden, Przybilla
• Nuggets: Martin

• Trail Blazers: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #42 Eric Lewis, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 17266
• Duration: 2:30

Portland Trail Blazers (37-29)		Denver Nuggets (43-21)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Petro vs Aldridge (Miller gains possession)
Aldridge Jump Shot: Missed	11:39
	11:37	Afflalo Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:28	Afflalo Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Aldridge Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Howard (1 AST)	11:10 [POR 2-0]
	10:49	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Missed
Miller Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:48
Howard Layup Shot: Missed Block: Hilario (1 BLK)	10:39
	10:36	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:29	Anthony 3pt Shot: Missed
Howard Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	10:27
Batum 3pt Shot: Missed	10:09
	10:08	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Howard Foul : Defense 3 Second (0 PF)	09:59
	09:59 [DEN 1-2]	Billups Free Throw Technical (1 PTS)
	09:47	Afflalo Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)
Miller Jump Shot: Missed	09:22
	09:21	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	09:12 [DEN 3-2]	Billups Jump Shot: Made (3 PTS)
Miller Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	09:06 [POR 4-3]
	08:50	Anthony Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	08:50	Anthony Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
	08:39	Afflalo Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Roy Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	08:39 [POR 5-3]
Roy Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)	08:39 [POR 6-3]
	08:26 [DEN 5-6]	Billups Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Afflalo (1 AST)
Instant Replay - Support Ruling	08:26
Roy 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Howard (2 AST)	08:06 [POR 9-5]
Batum Foul : Personal (1 PF)	07:55
	07:41 [DEN 7-9]	Billups Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Afflalo (2 AST)
Batum Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Roy (1 AST)	07:15 [POR 11-7]
	07:01 [DEN 10-11]	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Anthony (1 AST)
Miller Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	06:42
	06:21 [DEN 12-11]	Anthony Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Petro (1 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	06:11
Miller Driving Layup Shot: Missed	05:59
	05:57	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	05:49	Anthony Jump Shot: Missed
Howard Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	05:48
Batum Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Howard (3 AST)	05:31 [POR 13-12]
	05:10 [DEN 14-13]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Batum Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	05:10
Batum Substitution replaced by Fernandez	05:10
	05:10 [DEN 15-13]	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 1 (5 PTS)
Aldridge Jump Shot: Missed	04:52
Roy Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	04:50
Roy Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Hilario (2 BLK)	04:43
	04:41	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	04:27 [DEN 18-13]	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Anthony (2 AST)
Roy 3pt Shot: Missed	04:02
	04:01	Hilario Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	03:53	Anthony Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed
	03:52	Team Rebound
Howard Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)	03:52
Howard Substitution replaced by Pendergraph	03:52
	03:52	Petro Substitution replaced by Andersen
Miller Substitution replaced by Bayless	03:52
	03:47 [DEN 20-13]	Anthony Driving Dunk Shot: Made (7 PTS)
Fernandez Floating Jump shot: Missed	03:27
Aldridge Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	03:26
Aldridge Tip Shot: Missed	03:26
Aldridge Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	03:25
Aldridge Tip Shot: Missed	03:25
Aldridge Rebound (Off:4 Def:0)	03:24
Aldridge Layup Shot: Missed	03:24
Aldridge Rebound (Off:3 Def:0)	03:23
	03:23	Hilario Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Aldridge Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	03:23
Team Rebound	03:23
Roy Substitution replaced by Webster	03:23
Aldridge Free Throw 2 of 2 (3 PTS)	03:23 [POR 14-20]
	03:10	Billups Jump Shot: Missed Block: Aldridge (1 BLK)
Pendergraph Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	03:09
Fernandez Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Bayless (1 AST)	03:06 [POR 16-20]
Pendergraph Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:54
	02:54	Team Timeout : Regular
	02:54	Afflalo Substitution replaced by Smith
	02:54	Hilario Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	02:54	Team Rebound
	02:54 [DEN 21-16]	Hilario Free Throw 2 of 2 (1 PTS)
Aldridge Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	02:46
Aldridge Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	02:46
	02:26 [DEN 23-16]	Hilario Dunk Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Smith (1 AST)
	02:08	Andersen Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Aldridge Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	01:55
Team Rebound	01:55
Bayless Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Fernandez (1 AST)	01:47 [POR 18-23]
Webster Foul : Personal (1 PF)	01:34
	01:34	Billups Substitution replaced by Carter
	01:34 [DEN 24-18]	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)
	01:34 [DEN 25-18]	Anthony Free Throw 2 of 2 (9 PTS)
Fernandez 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Bayless (2 AST)	01:21 [POR 21-25]
	01:08 [DEN 27-21]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Carter (1 AST)
Bayless Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Andersen (1 ST)	01:05
	00:55.3 [DEN 30-21]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Anthony (3 AST)
Bayless Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)	00:38.2
Pendergraph Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	00:35.0
	00:35.0 [DEN 31-21]	Smith Free Throw 1 of 2 (4 PTS)
	00:35.0	Hilario Substitution replaced by Allen
	00:35.0 [DEN 32-21]	Smith Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)
Bayless Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Smith (1 ST)	00:15.9
	00:01.6 [DEN 34-21]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Smith (2 AST)
End of 1st Quarter
Portland Trail Blazers (37-29)		Denver Nuggets (43-21)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
	11:45	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	11:44
Webster Jump Shot: Missed	11:31
Cunningham Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	11:29
Bayless Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Howard (4 AST)	11:22 [POR 23-34]
	10:57 [DEN 36-23]	Andersen Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Carter (2 AST)
Bayless Jump Shot: Missed	10:43
	10:42	Anthony Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:32 [DEN 38-23]	Andersen Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Anthony (4 AST)
Fernandez Reverse Layup Shot: Missed Block: Andersen (1 BLK)	10:13
Fernandez Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	10:11
Bayless 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Webster (1 AST)	10:03 [POR 26-38]
	09:59	Carter Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	09:59	Carter Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
Webster Substitution replaced by Roy	09:59
	09:59	Anthony Substitution replaced by Billups
Fernandez 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Bayless (3 AST)	09:41 [POR 29-38]
	09:27	Smith Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)
Fernandez Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	09:07
	09:06	Carter Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	09:04 [DEN 40-29]	Smith Slam Dunk Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Carter (3 AST)
	08:56	Allen Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Timeout : Official	08:56
Fernandez Substitution replaced by Miller	08:56
Bayless Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	08:56
Team Rebound	08:56
Bayless Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	08:56 [POR 30-40]
	08:32 [DEN 42-30]	Smith Jump Shot: Made (9 PTS)
Howard Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Roy (2 AST)	08:15 [POR 32-42]
	08:05	Allen Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Howard (1 ST)
Cunningham Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Miller (1 AST)	07:55 [POR 34-42]
	07:34	Andersen Jump Shot: Missed
	07:33	Team Rebound
Cunningham Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)	07:33
Cunningham Substitution replaced by Aldridge	07:33
	07:33	Allen Substitution replaced by Hilario
	07:23 [DEN 45-34]	Carter 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Smith (3 AST)
Bayless Jump Shot: Missed	07:08
Howard Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	07:07
Howard Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Smith (2 ST)	07:06
Bayless Foul : Personal (1 PF)	07:05
	06:54 [DEN 47-34]	Hilario Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Smith (4 AST)
Carter Violation:Kicked Ball	06:39
Bayless Substitution replaced by Fernandez	06:39
Roy Layup Shot: Missed	06:25
Howard Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)	06:24
Howard Putback Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)	06:24 [POR 36-47]
	06:03 [DEN 50-36]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Carter (4 AST)
Aldridge Running Jump Shot: Made (5 PTS)	05:47 [POR 38-50]
	05:47	Andersen Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
	05:47	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:47	Carter Substitution replaced by Anthony
Aldridge Free Throw 1 of 1 (6 PTS)	05:47 [POR 39-50]
	05:38	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
Aldridge Rebound (Off:4 Def:1)	05:37
Aldridge Jump Shot: Missed	05:30
	05:29	Hilario Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	05:16	Anthony Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	05:15
Roy Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Andersen (2 BLK)	04:51
	04:49	Billups Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	04:45 [DEN 52-39]	Anthony Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Billups (1 AST)
Howard Jump Hook Shot: Missed	04:26
	04:26	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	04:17	Hilario Layup Shot: Missed Block: Aldridge (2 BLK)
	04:16	Team Rebound
	04:16	Smith Substitution replaced by Afflalo
	04:02 [DEN 55-39]	Billups 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	03:59
Aldridge Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Roy (3 AST)	03:40 [POR 41-55]
	03:20	Billups 3pt Shot: Missed
Howard Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	03:20
Miller Driving Layup Shot: Missed	03:15
	03:14	Hilario Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	03:08 [DEN 57-41]	Anthony Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Billups (2 AST)
Roy Jump Shot: Missed	02:49
	02:48	Hilario Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	02:36	Billups Jump Bank Shot: Missed
Roy Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	02:36
Miller Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)	02:33
Miller Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	02:33
Fernandez Substitution replaced by Batum	02:33
Howard Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	02:18
	02:18 [DEN 58-41]	Hilario Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)
Howard Substitution replaced by Cunningham	02:18
	02:18 [DEN 59-41]	Hilario Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)
Batum 3pt Shot: Missed	02:00
	01:59	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	01:54 [DEN 61-41]	Billups Driving Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS)
	01:47	Andersen Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Miller Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)	01:47 [POR 42-61]
	01:47	Andersen Substitution replaced by Smith
Miller Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)	01:47 [POR 43-61]
	01:31 [DEN 64-43]	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Hilario (1 AST)
Miller Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)	01:21 [POR 45-64]
	01:04	Afflalo Turnover : Traveling (3 TO)
Miller Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (8 PTS)	00:55.9 [POR 47-64]
	00:40.1	Anthony Foul : Offensive (2 PF)
	00:40.1	Anthony Turnover : Foul (2 TO)
	00:31.0	Smith Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Cunningham Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)	00:31.0 [POR 48-64]
Cunningham Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)	00:31.0 [POR 49-64]
	00:14.1 [DEN 66-49]	Anthony Running Jump Shot: Made (19 PTS)
Cunningham Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	00:14.1
Miller Substitution replaced by Fernandez	00:14.1
	00:14.1	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed
Batum Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:12.6
Batum 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.4
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 2nd Quarter
Portland Trail Blazers (37-29)		Denver Nuggets (43-21)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
	11:44	Anthony Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Howard (2 ST)
Howard Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Miller (2 AST)	11:22 [POR 51-66]
	11:02	Billups Jump Shot: Missed
Batum Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	11:02
Batum Jump Shot: Missed	10:52
	10:52	Hilario Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	10:46 [DEN 68-51]	Hilario Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Afflalo (3 AST)
Howard Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Batum (1 AST)	10:26 [POR 53-68]
Batum Foul : Personal (3 PF)	10:17
Aldridge Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	10:09
	10:09 [DEN 69-53]	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 2 (20 PTS)
	10:09	Anthony Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Team Rebound	10:07
Roy Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Missed	09:45
	09:43	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)
	09:27	Petro Jump Hook Shot: Missed
Batum Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	09:26
Miller Driving Layup Shot: Missed	09:21
Aldridge Rebound (Off:5 Def:1)	09:20
Aldridge Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)	09:19 [POR 55-69]
Roy Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	08:56
	08:56 [DEN 70-55]	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 2 (21 PTS)
	08:56 [DEN 71-55]	Anthony Free Throw 2 of 2 (22 PTS)
Batum Jump Shot: Missed	08:36
	08:35	Anthony Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	08:32	Afflalo Layup Shot: Missed Block: Batum (1 BLK)
	08:30	Billups Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	08:28	Petro Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Miller (1 ST)
	08:26	Anthony Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Miller Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	08:26 [POR 56-71]
Miller Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	08:26 [POR 57-71]
	08:08	Anthony 3pt Shot: Missed
Roy Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	08:08
Miller Driving Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS)	08:02 [POR 59-71]
Batum Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	07:42
Batum Substitution replaced by Webster	07:42
	07:42	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	07:42	Team Rebound
	07:42 [DEN 72-59]	Anthony Free Throw 2 of 2 (23 PTS)
Miller Jump Shot: Missed	07:19
	07:18	Team Rebound
	07:04 [DEN 74-59]	Petro Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Billups (3 AST)
	06:50	Afflalo Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	06:47	Petro Foul : Personal (1 PF)
	06:41	Petro Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Roy Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	06:41 [POR 60-74]
Roy Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	06:41 [POR 61-74]
	06:31	Billups Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Webster (1 ST)
Miller Slam Dunk Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Webster (2 AST)	06:27 [POR 63-74]
	06:03 [DEN 76-63]	Billups Driving Layup Shot: Made (14 PTS)
	05:48	Afflalo Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
	05:48	Team Timeout : Regular
Roy Free Throw 1 of 2 (8 PTS)	05:48 [POR 64-76]
Roy Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	05:48
	05:47	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)
	05:33 [DEN 78-64]	Petro Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Anthony (5 AST)
Miller Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (16 PTS)	05:09 [POR 66-78]
	04:52	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Missed
Webster Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	04:51
	04:48	Billups Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Miller Free Throw 1 of 2 (17 PTS)	04:48 [POR 67-78]
Miller Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	04:48
	04:47	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:8)
Webster Foul : Personal (2 PF)	04:36
	04:36	Afflalo Substitution replaced by Smith
	04:36 [DEN 79-67]	Anthony Free Throw 1 of 2 (24 PTS)
	04:36	Anthony Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Howard Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	04:33
Webster 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Aldridge (1 AST)	04:18 [POR 70-79]
	04:03	Petro Substitution replaced by Andersen
	03:50	Anthony 3pt Shot: Missed
	03:50	Hilario Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	03:37	Anthony Layup Shot: Missed
Webster Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	03:35
	03:31	Hilario Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Webster Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	03:31
Team Rebound	03:31
Howard Substitution replaced by Cunningham	03:31
Webster Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)	03:31 [POR 71-79]
	03:13 [DEN 81-71]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (26 PTS)
Miller Jump Shot: Missed	02:57
Webster Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	02:56
Webster Tip Shot: Missed	02:56
Cunningham Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	02:54
Roy 3pt Shot: Missed	02:44
	02:44	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	02:34 [DEN 83-71]	Hilario Slam Dunk Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Smith (5 AST)
Cunningham Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	02:34
Team Timeout : Regular	02:34
Miller Substitution replaced by Bayless	02:34
	02:34 [DEN 84-71]	Hilario Free Throw 1 of 1 (12 PTS)
Webster 3pt Shot: Missed	02:14
Team Rebound	02:14
	02:14	Anthony Foul : Loose Ball (4 PF)
Cunningham Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:14
Team Rebound	02:14
Cunningham Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	02:14 [POR 72-84]
	01:54	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
Roy Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	01:53
Webster Driving Dunk Shot: Missed Block: Andersen (3 BLK)	01:46
	01:44	Hilario Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	01:42 [DEN 86-72]	Smith Slam Dunk Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Hilario (2 AST)
Roy Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Missed	01:26
	01:25	Andersen Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	01:09	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
	01:09	Team Rebound
Aldridge Foul : Loose Ball (3 PF)	01:09
	01:09	Anthony Substitution replaced by Afflalo
	01:09	Andersen Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	01:09	Team Rebound
Roy Substitution replaced by Fernandez	01:09
	01:09	Andersen Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Webster Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	01:07
	00:50.5	Andersen Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Bayless Free Throw 1 of 2 (9 PTS)	00:50.5 [POR 73-86]
Bayless Free Throw 2 of 2 (10 PTS)	00:50.5 [POR 74-86]
	00:36.7	Billups 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:35.7	Team Rebound
Cunningham Foul : Loose Ball (4 PF)	00:35.7
	00:35.7 [DEN 87-74]	Andersen Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
	00:35.7	Andersen Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Cunningham Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	00:34.9
	00:23.8	Andersen Foul : Personal (5 PF)
Bayless Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	00:23.8
Team Rebound	00:23.8
	00:23.8	Andersen Substitution replaced by Anthony
Aldridge Substitution replaced by Howard	00:23.8
Bayless Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)	00:23.8 [POR 75-87]
Howard Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	00:02.2
	00:02.2	Hilario Substitution replaced by Petro
	00:02.2 [DEN 88-75]	Billups Free Throw 1 of 2 (15 PTS)
	00:02.2 [DEN 89-75]	Billups Free Throw 2 of 2 (16 PTS)
End of 3rd Quarter
Portland Trail Blazers (37-29)		Denver Nuggets (43-21)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:51	Petro Foul : Shooting (3 PF)
Bayless Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)	11:51 [POR 76-89]
Bayless Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)	11:51 [POR 77-89]
	11:33	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Missed
Howard Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	11:31
Fernandez Jump Shot: Missed	11:05
	11:05	Afflalo Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	11:02	Billups Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Fernandez (1 ST)
	11:02	Afflalo Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Cunningham Substitution replaced by Webster	11:02
Howard Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	11:02
Team Rebound	11:02
Howard Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	11:02
	11:00	Smith Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:47	Smith 3pt Shot: Missed
Webster Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	10:46
Bayless 3pt Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Roy (4 AST)	10:30 [POR 80-89]
Bayless Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	10:14
Howard Substitution replaced by Aldridge	10:14
	10:14	Billups Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	10:14	Team Rebound
	10:14 [DEN 90-80]	Billups Free Throw 2 of 2 (17 PTS)
Bayless Driving Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS)	09:58 [POR 82-90]
	09:58	Petro Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
Bayless Free Throw 1 of 1 (19 PTS)	09:58 [POR 83-90]
	09:46	Billups 3pt Shot: Missed
Aldridge Rebound (Off:5 Def:2)	09:45
Bayless Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Carter (1 ST)	09:36
	09:33 [DEN 92-83]	Carter Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Petro (2 AST)
Roy Jump Shot: Missed	09:12
	09:11	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:9)
	09:05 [DEN 94-83]	Billups Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	09:04
Roy Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	08:44
	08:43	Petro Rebound (Off:0 Def:10)
	08:29 [DEN 96-83]	Smith Driving Finger Roll Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Billups (4 AST)
Webster Driving Layup Shot: Missed	08:14
	08:13	Smith Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Aldridge Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	08:06
Webster Substitution replaced by Miller	08:06
	08:06 [DEN 97-83]	Petro Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
	08:06 [DEN 98-83]	Petro Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)
Fernandez 3pt Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Roy (5 AST)	07:53 [POR 86-98]
Roy Foul : Personal (2 PF)	07:42
	07:42	Billups Substitution replaced by Anthony
	07:31	Smith Jump Shot: Missed
Bayless Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	07:30
Bayless Jump Shot: Missed	07:09
Team Rebound	07:08
Aldridge Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Bayless (4 AST)	07:02 [POR 88-98]
	06:36 [DEN 100-88]	Carter Fade Away Jumper Shot: Made (7 PTS)
Aldridge Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Bayless (5 AST)	06:16 [POR 90-100]
	06:01 [DEN 103-90]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (19 PTS) Assist: Carter (5 AST)
Bayless 3pt Shot: Made (22 PTS) Assist: Aldridge (2 AST)	05:44 [POR 93-103]
	05:26 [DEN 105-93]	Anthony Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (28 PTS) Assist: Smith (6 AST)
	05:17	Petro Foul : Shooting (5 PF)
Timeout : Official	05:17
	05:17	Petro Substitution replaced by Hilario
Bayless Free Throw 1 of 2 (23 PTS)	05:17 [POR 94-105]
Bayless Free Throw 2 of 2 (24 PTS)	05:17 [POR 95-105]
	04:55	Afflalo 3pt Shot: Missed
Bayless Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	04:54
Miller Driving Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS)	04:49 [POR 97-105]
	04:22 [DEN 107-97]	Afflalo Driving Layup Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Carter (6 AST)
Fernandez 3pt Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Aldridge (3 AST)	03:58 [POR 100-107]
	03:40	Anthony Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
	03:39	Afflalo Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Miller Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	03:38
	03:38	Carter Substitution replaced by Billups
	03:38 [DEN 108-100]	Afflalo Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)
	03:38 [DEN 109-100]	Afflalo Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)
Aldridge Jump Bank Hook Shot: Missed	03:21
Roy Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	03:20
Roy Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Hilario (1 ST)	03:18
Miller Foul : Personal (3 PF)	03:16
	03:16	Afflalo Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	03:16	Team Rebound
	03:16	Afflalo Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
	03:14	Afflalo Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	02:53	Hilario Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Fernandez Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	02:52
Miller Driving Layup Shot: Missed Block: Hilario (3 BLK)	02:48
	02:46	Billups Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	02:40 [DEN 112-100]	Smith 3pt Shot: Made (22 PTS) Assist: Afflalo (4 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	02:40
Roy Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS)	02:14 [POR 102-112]
	01:48 [DEN 114-102]	Anthony Jump Shot: Made (30 PTS) Assist: Billups (5 AST)
Miller Jump Shot: Missed	01:35
	01:34	Billups Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	01:31 [DEN 116-102]	Hilario Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Smith (7 AST)
Roy Driving Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS)	01:18 [POR 104-116]
	00:55.9	Hilario Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Fernandez Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	00:54.9
Roy 3pt Shot: Missed	00:47.1
Team Rebound	00:46.1
	00:46.1	Billups Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)
Aldridge Free Throw 1 of 2 (15 PTS)	00:46.1 [POR 105-116]
Roy Substitution replaced by Cunningham	00:46.1
Miller Substitution replaced by Webster	00:46.1
Aldridge Free Throw 2 of 2 (16 PTS)	00:46.1 [POR 106-116]
	00:29.1 [DEN 118-106]	Billups Jump Shot: Made (21 PTS)
Bayless Jump Shot: Missed Block: Hilario (4 BLK)	00:19.9
	00:18.7	Afflalo Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			ESPN	National	10:30 pm ET
		--	ASE	Local	10:30 pm ET
		--	CSN-POR	Local	10:30 pm ET
		--	TheScore	Local	10:30 pm ET