Nuggets-Trail Blazers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 04 2012 2:57AM

The Portland Trail Blazers keep coming up short on the road.

Their results at home have been far different.

The Trail Blazers look to extend their best home start in 13 seasons Saturday night when they try to hand the Denver Nuggets their fifth consecutive road loss in this Northwest Division series.

After routing Charlotte 112-68 the night before in their best offensive performance of the season, the Blazers (13-10) dropped their season-high fourth straight road game on Thursday, 95-92 to Sacramento.

Portland has been outscored by a total of 23 points in its last six road losses.

"We really had control of this game (with a nine-point halftime lead) and had a flow going," said coach Nate McMillan, who played for Nuggets coach George Karl in Seattle from 1991-98. "But in the second half it's pretty much what it has been for us - turnovers, a lot of one-on-one play, and lack of ball movement. We just self-destruct on the road."

Portland, though, has won 10 of 11 at home for its best start there since the 1998-99 team opened 17-1.

The Blazers are winning by an average of 26.8 points during their 4-0 stretch at the Rose Garden.

Portland defeated the visiting Nuggets 111-102 on Dec. 29 behind a season-high five 3-pointers and 25 points from Wesley Matthews and 23 from former Nugget Raymond Felton.

Denver (15-8) has lost eight of 10 on the road in this series, but the club is 8-4 away from home for the first time in four seasons.

The Nuggets, though, have dropped three of four following a season-high 6-0 run. Denver is coming off a 93-89 home loss to the Lakers after opening its back-to-back-to-back set Thursday with a 112-91 road win over the Clippers.

Al Harrington missed a 3-point attempt from 26 feet out that would have given the Nuggets the lead on Friday.

"For an end-of-the-game situation against a good defensive team he got a fair release," Karl told NBA.com. "I wouldn't call it a great shot. I'd like better."

After scoring just 18 fast-break points on Friday, the Nuggets will try to get their offense in gear in their final game in Oregon this season. Denver is averaging a league-high 107.5 points as the road team.

Portland is giving up just 88.5 points per game at home.

The Blazers will have to keep an eye on Harrington, who finished with 24 points on Friday and is among the NBA's top scoring reserves at 15.3 per game.

Andre Miller, acquired from Portland in June for Felton, scored 13 off the bench with a team-high eight assists on Dec. 29.

Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 25 points and a career-high eight steals in that game.

Denver was outrebounded by 20 in that matchup, and it could be at an even bigger disadvantage down low this time against LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby if Timofey Mozgov can't go. The Nuggets 7-foot center suffered a sprained left ankle early in the second half on Friday and did not return.

It's uncertain if Blazers forward Nicolas Batum will return after missing two games with a left knee bone bruise.

Batum scores 33 points to help Blazers top Nuggets

Posted Feb 05 2012 1:52AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Nicolas Batum woke up hoping his injured knee would allow him to play.

As it happened, he set a Trail Blazers record with nine 3-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points to help Portland beat the Denver Nuggets 117-97 Saturday night.

"When I came in tonight I was thinking, `Don't hurt my knee, don't be crazy tonight,"' said Batum, who sat out two games with a bruised bone. "I tried to drive to the basket . I could not dunk, I could not even make a layup. All I could do is shoot from the 3-point line."

LaMarcus Aldridge added 29 points for Portland, which

Gerald Wallace had 17 points and Marcus Camby had 20 rebounds for Portland. Batum made a career-high nine 3-pointers, the most in an NBA game this season and a franchise record for the Blazers.

Danilo Gallinari had 20 points and Ty Lawson and Kosta Koufos each added 16 to lead the Nuggets, who have lost four of their last five, including 93-89 Friday night to the Los Angeles Lakers.

"We just need to start being more physical," said Corey Brewer, who had 14 off the bench for Denver. "The last couple games we haven't had the physicality we need."

The Nuggets (15-9) were playing their third game in three days and arrived in Portland after 4 a.m. after their flight out of Denver was delayed because of snow.

Portland was coming off a deflating 95-92 loss at Sacramento on Thursday. The Blazers have been a completely different team on the road this season, where they are 3-9. At the Rose Garden, Portland is 11-1, the second-best home record in the Western Conference to San Antonio, which is 13-1.

The Nuggets (15-9) were playing their third time in as many days and arrived in Portland after 4 a.m. after their flight out of Denver was delayed because of snow. The Blazers were playing on one day's rest.

Batum returned after missing two games with a bruised knee. The 6-foot-9 small forward provided a spark for the Blazers after entering the game late in the first quarter, hitting 5 of 6 3-pointers and scoring 17 points in a span of less than seven minutes, lifting Portland to a 52-37 lead in the second quarter.

"Trust me, I have to contest those shots in practice every day, so I already know what he can do," Wallace said. "I was just impressed he was doing that with a banged up knee."

Denver cut the lead to 59-53 by putting together a 15-4 run going into halftime as Lawson scored eight points. The game got as close as 64-61 in the third on a dunk from Koufos, but the Blazers went on a 14-2 run as the Nuggets hit the wall. Denver was never a threat the remainder of the game and the Blazers led by as many as 25.

"Anytime we play three games in three nights it should be a forty minute game," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

NOTES: The Nuggets play their next three games at home, against Houston, Dallas and Golden State. ... Blazers PG Raymond Felton left the game in the third quarter with sprained foot. X-rays were negative. ... Denver G Rudy Fernandez was booed each time he touched the ball. He played for Portland from 2008-11, but fell out of favor with fans when he asked to be released from his contract before last season. Many fans also booed a video image of Greg Oden, the former No. 1 overall draft pick who has not played since December 2009 because of knee injuries. Oden had arthroscopic surgery on Friday in Denver.

Notebook: Trail Blazers 117, Nuggets 97

By Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday February 5, 2012 1:16AM

THE FACTS: Nicolas Batum scored a career-high 33 points and set a franchise record with nine 3-point field goals as Portland routed Denver Saturday night, 117-97, at the Rose Garden. Batum was 11 for 19 from the field and 9 for 15 from 3-point range in his 25 minutes off the bench.

LaMarcus Aldridge collected 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Portland (14-10), which improved to 11-1 at home. Danilo Gallinari scored 20 points for the Nuggets (15-9), who lost their fourth game in the last five outings. It was the third game in as many nights for Denver.

QUOTABLE: "I didn't know if I was going to play until this morning, after shootaround. I talked with coach (Nate McMillan). I was running pretty good, so I said, 'OK, let's try it.' I think it was a good choice."
-- Batum, who missed the previous two games with an injury to his left knee.

THE STAT: Portland won the game at the 3-point line. The Blazers were 15 for 33; the Nuggets were 5 for 22.

TURNING POINT: Portland led 59-57 early in the third quarter when the Blazers went on a 26-10 tear to break the game open.

QUOTABLE II: "They're one of the best home teams in basketball. The times we played them, they're a top-five team. They've played great."
-- Denver head coach George Karl on the Blazers, who are 2-0 against the Nuggets this season ? both times at the Rose Garden.

HOT: Batum missed his first 3-pointer, then drained five in a row, all in the second quarter, the last one staking Portland to a 50-34 lead.

NOT: Denver's Arron Afflalo never got into the swing of things, going scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting in his 20 minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "He was phenomenal. He was stroking the ball and spreading the court, and we were able to have an inside/outside game. It opened it up a lot for (Aldridge), and it takes a lot of pressure off Gerald (Wallace), too. When Nic is like that, I guarantee you we're hard to beat."
-- Portland's Marcus Camby.

INSIDE THE ARENA: University of Oregon running back Kenjon Barner, wearing a Nuggets' No. 24 jersey sitting near the visiting bench. Barner and Denver guard Andre Miller are cousins.

GOOD MOVE: McMillan chose to push the pace ? even against a Denver team that is the top-scoring team in the NBA ? because the Nuggets were playing their third game in three nights. The Blazers got 15 fast-break points and 24 points off 17 Denver turnovers.

BAD MOVE: Karl tried to use 6-3 Andre Miller on the 6-8 Batum for a spell in the second quarter. Batum scored 14 of his 17 first-half points in the period, including four treys.

NOTABLE: Batum had 33 points, zero rebounds and zero assists in 25 minutes. With a sore left knee, "I couldn't do anything but spot up and shoot threes," he said.

UP NEXT: For the Blazers, Oklahoma City Monday, Houston Wednesday, at New Orleans Friday. For the Nuggets, Houston Monday, Dallas Wednesday, Golden State Thursday.

• Nuggets: Mozgov
• Trail Blazers: Johnson, Oden

• Nuggets: Karl
• Trail Blazers: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #26 Pat Fraher, #14 Ed Malloy, #72 JT Orr
• Attendance: 20583
• Duration: 2:00