Recap: Portland Trailblazers dominate from distance, defeat Denver Nuggets 116-100.
By Andrew Dill
Nov 9, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) reacts after being pushed away by Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Nuggets suffered their fifth-straight loss at the hands of the Portland Trailblazers Sunday night, losing by the final score of 116-100.
All five of Portland’s starting rotation scored in double-figures, led by LaMarcus Aldridge who scored a game-high 28 points. Denver was unable to stop the pick-and-roll game featured by Portland, leaving Aldridge open on multiple occasions. Aldridge shot 12-of-26 from the field, collecting 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block.
Another thing Denver couldn’t stop Sunday night was the three-point shot – Portland dominated that aspect of the game. As a team, Portland shot 16-of-31 (51.6%) from distance, led by Wesley Matthews who was in the grove early on. Matthews scored 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting, grabbing 6 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 1 steal.
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Other than defending the three and the pick-and-roll, Denver looked at times like they would steal this game. Denver was dominant in-terms of the inside game, outscoring Portland 56-30 in the paint. Kenneth Faried finished with a team-high 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, collecting 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 blocks.
Nuggets starters Ty Lawson and Arron Afflalo both scored 18 points apiece while J.J. Hickson made his return to the lineup after finishing up a five-game suspension. Hickson scored on his first touch on the pick-and-roll, finishing with 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Danilo Gallinari is still going through a rough transition period. The Italian forward scored 5 points tonight while shooting 0-for-3 from the field. Gallo went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe while hauling down 3 rebounds to go with 2 assists and 1 block.
The Denver Nuggets (1-5) return to action Wednesday night against the Portland Trailblazers – this time at home. Tip-off from the Pepsi Center is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST, 7:00 PM MST.