Lillard leads Blazers to 130-113 rout of Nuggets

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.

This was the first time all year Nuggets coach Brian Shaw had a full squad at his disposal. It didn't help. Shaw couldn't find the right combination to slow down the Blazers, who led 84-50 at the break. That's quite a first-half explosion, especially considering Indiana beat Miami 81-75 earlier in the night.

On a frigid night outside the Pepsi Center - minus-3 degrees and falling - the Nuggets were just as cold inside. They shot 37.8 percent in the first half, including 1 for 8 from 3-point range, leading to plenty of boos from the sparse crowd.

Denver actually went on a 15-0 run in the third quarter and still trailed by 21 points. Lillard ended any chance of a comeback when he hit back-to-back 3-pointers late in the quarter to restore the big lead.

The game was so lopsided that Portland's starters were on the bench for the final quarter.

J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 11 rebounds in his second game back. He missed the opening five games of the year, serving a suspension for violating the league's anti-drug program.

TIP INS

Trail Blazers: Coach Terry Stotts said the team will miss the versatility of Nicolas Batum while he's sidelined with a bruised knee. ''His playmaking, his rebounding, his defense, his length, his scoring - all of those things have to be made up by a lot of different players, rather than just one,'' Stotts said. ... Allen Crabbe filled in for Batum and scored seven points.

Nuggets: The minute restrictions were finally lifted for Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson, who are both returning from knee injuries. Not so for JaVale McGee (left tibia stress fracture) and Hickson (knee). They're both being held to under 20 minutes for two more weeks.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: Host Brooklyn on Saturday.

Nuggets: Visit Indiana on Friday.