Denver Nuggets (44-28) beat Portland Trail Blazers (35-37) 128-112 at home on Sunday, March 22, never trailing at a quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Nuggets struck first, taking the opening quarter 42-40 and a 2-point lead after one. The Nuggets kept the pressure on with a 33-29 second quarter, carrying a 6-point lead into halftime.
The Nuggets won the third 32-24 to create some separation, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Nuggets took the fourth 21-19; the Nuggets finished the job for a 128-112 regulation win.
What decided it
The Nuggets got more from their shots, finishing at 64.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51.5% for the Trail Blazers. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Trail Blazers did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 27.5% against 13.9%. The Nuggets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 126.9 points per 100 possessions to 111 for the Trail Blazers.
Who made the difference
Nikola Jokic was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 22 pts, 14 reb, 14 ast on 10-18 shooting. His Game Score of 25.1 led everyone. His team was +19 with him on the floor.
Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 23 pts, 6 reb, 14 ast on 7-17 shooting, good for a 21.7 Game Score.
Nikola Jokic (22 pts, 14 reb, 14 ast), Donovan Clingan (18 pts, 13 reb, 1 ast), and Deni Avdija (23 pts, 6 reb, 14 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Nuggets about a 75% chance.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Nuggets are now 44-28, and the Trail Blazers are 35-37. The Nuggets last five before this game: W-L-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.