Denver Nuggets (36-21) beat Portland Trail Blazers (27-30) 157-103 on the road on Friday, February 20. The final margin was 54 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets struck first, taking the opening quarter 41-27 and a 14-point lead after one. The Nuggets kept the pressure on with a 41-26 second quarter, carrying a 29-point lead into halftime.
The Nuggets won the third 43-32 to create some separation, taking a 40-point lead into the fourth. The Nuggets took the fourth 32-18; the Nuggets finished the job for a 157-103 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 68.2% effective field-goal shooting compared with 49.4% for the Trail Blazers. The Nuggets grabbed 31.7% of their own misses, while the Trail Blazers recovered 14.5%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
At roughly 110 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 142.2 points per 100 possessions to 93.3 for the Trail Blazers.
The Nuggets' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 70-42.
Who stood out
Nikola Jokic was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 32 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl on 10-15 shooting. His Game Score of 33.1 led everyone. His team was +40 with him on the floor.
Deni Avdija (15 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast) and Spencer Jones (10 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 44% for the Nuggets.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Portland Trail Blazers lead 3-2.
The Nuggets are now 36-21, and the Trail Blazers are 27-30. The Nuggets last five before this game: L-W-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.