Portland Trail Blazers 128-109 victory over the Denver Nuggets

Deni Avdija scored a career-high 36 points, along with eight rebounds and seven assists, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 128-109 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Denver played without star center Nikola Jokic for the third consecutive game. Shaedon Sharpe contributed 23 points as Portland dominated the second half (74-50) to secure their fourth straight win. The Blazers remain two games behind Dallas and Phoenix for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Aaron Gordon led Denver with 23 points, but the Nuggets dropped their second consecutive game and now sit half a game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for third place in the West. Portland’s Donovan Clingan and Anfernee Simons were late scratches due to illness. Denver led 59-54 at halftime but lost control after Portland’s decisive 14-0 run early in the third quarter.