DENVER – Damian Lillard had 27 points and a season-high nine assists as the Portland Trail Blazers used a big first half to rout the Denver Nuggets 130-113 on Wednesday night.
The Blazers scored 84 points in the first half, one basket away from matching the team record for a half (86) set against Golden State on Jan. 5, 1986. Portland showed no signs of fatigue, despite expending plenty of energy the night before in coming back from a 23-point deficit to hold off Charlotte at the buzzer.
Robin Lopez scored 15 of his 19 points in the decisive first half. LaMarcus Aldridge usually gives the Nuggets nightmares, but he was largely kept in check, finishing with 12 points. He averaged 28.3 points against Denver last season, and had a career-high 44 points in a game.
Ty Lawson had 32 points for the Nuggets, who dropped their sixth straight game.
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