PORTLAND, Ore. -- — Deni Avdija had 36 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 128-109 win over the Denver Nuggets, who were without star center Nikola Jokic for the third straight game.

Shaedon Sharpe added 23 points as the Trail Blazers dominated the second half (74-50) to cruise to their fourth straight victory. Portland remained two games behind Dallas and Phoenix for 10th place in the Western Conference and the final spot in the play-in tournament.

Aaron Gordon scored 23 points for Denver, which lost its second straight and is a half-game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for third place in the West.

Portland’s Donovan Clingan and Anfernee Simons were both late scratches due to illness.

Denver led 59-54 at halftime and held their advantage until early in the third quarter when the Blazers went on a 14-0 run to take control.

Sharpe’s three-point play with 8:18 left in the third gave Portland its first lead at 69-67.

A 3-pointer by Peyton Watson sparked the Nuggets on an 11-2 run to tie it at 78. The teams traded baskets after that run before the Blazers closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to lead 88-82 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Nuggets pulled their starters down 118-98 with 4:19 left.

Takeaways

Nuggets: With Jokic nursing an ankle injury, the Nuggets have relied even more on Gordon, who has averaged 29 points in the three games Jokic has missed.

Trail Blazers: They honored their NBA Finals teams from 1990 and 1992. Rick Adelman, the coach of those teams, said he was grateful the Blazers honored those squads when they played against Denver where his son, David, is an assistant coach. “It’s a special night,” Adelman said.

Key moment

Scoot Henderson’s putback dunk with 6:59 left in the third quarter brought the crowd to its feet, part of a 14-0 Blazers run.

Key stat

Portland had a 26-10 advantage in second-chance points.

Up next

Nuggets: Play at Houston on Sunday night.

Trail Blazers: Host Boston on Sunday night.

—

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Aaron Gordon vs. Toumani Camara (Michael Porter Jr. gains possession)	0	0
11:41	Aaron Gordon makes 20-foot pullup jump shot	0	2
11:17	Deni Avdija lost ball turnover (Jamal Murray steals)	0	2
11:14	Shaedon Sharpe personal foul	0	2
11:02	Scoot Henderson shooting foul	0	2
11:02	Aaron Gordon makes free throw 1 of 2	0	3
11:02	Aaron Gordon makes free throw 2 of 2	0	4
10:49	Scoot Henderson makes 26-foot three point jumper (Toumani Camara assists)	3	4
10:36	Russell Westbrook makes 2-foot two point shot	3	6
10:21	Scoot Henderson traveling	3	6
10:05	Christian Braun makes 4-foot layup (Russell Westbrook assists)	3	8
9:56	Deni Avdija makes 25-foot three pointer (Scoot Henderson assists)	6	8
9:32	Deni Avdija shooting foul	6	8
9:32	Aaron Gordon makes free throw 1 of 2	6	9
9:32	Aaron Gordon misses free throw 2 of 2	6	9
9:30	Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound	6	9
9:21	Shaedon Sharpe misses driving layup	6	9
9:20	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	6	9
9:08	Toumani Camara shooting foul	6	9
9:08	Aaron Gordon makes free throw 1 of 2	6	10
9:08	Aaron Gordon makes free throw 2 of 2	6	11
8:53	Kris Murray misses 25-foot three point jumper	6	11
8:50	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	6	11
8:46	Russell Westbrook makes two point shot (Michael Porter Jr. assists)	6	13
8:37	Toumani Camara misses 23-foot three point pullup jump shot	6	13
8:33	Kris Murray offensive rebound	6	13
8:31	Shaedon Sharpe misses 29-foot three point jumper	6	13
8:27	Kris Murray offensive rebound	6	13
8:27	Kris Murray misses tip shot	6	13
8:26	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	6	13
8:12	Christian Braun makes 2-foot layup (Russell Westbrook assists)	6	15
8:12	Trail Blazers Full timeout	6	15
8:12	Duop Reath enters the game for Kris Murray	6	15
8:02	Scoot Henderson makes 26-foot three point step back jumpshot (Duop Reath assists)	9	15
7:39	Jamal Murray makes 17-foot jumper	9	17
7:29	Scoot Henderson misses driving floating jump shot	9	17
7:27	Shaedon Sharpe offensive rebound	9	17
7:24	Shaedon Sharpe misses 24-foot three point step back jumpshot	9	17
7:22	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	9	17
7:22	Scoot Henderson personal foul	9	17
7:22	Michael Porter Jr. makes free throw 1 of 2	9	18
7:22	Michael Porter Jr. makes free throw 2 of 2	9	19
7:04	Deni Avdija misses 24-foot three point jumper	9	19
7:00	Toumani Camara offensive rebound	9	19
6:52	Toumani Camara makes 23-foot three point jumper (Scoot Henderson assists)	12	19
6:25	Michael Porter Jr. offensive charge	12	19
6:25	Michael Porter Jr. turnover	12	19
6:13	Aaron Gordon shooting foul	12	19
6:13	Deni Avdija makes free throw 1 of 2	13	19
6:13	Deni Avdija misses free throw 2 of 2	13	19
6:13	Trail Blazers offensive team rebound	13	19
6:13	Christian Braun loose ball foul	13	19
6:05	Deni Avdija makes driving layup (Toumani Camara assists)	15	19
5:55	Michael Porter Jr. misses 23-foot three point step back jumpshot	15	19
5:52	Duop Reath defensive rebound	15	19
5:49	Jamal Murray shooting foul	15	19
5:49	Toumani Camara makes free throw 1 of 2	16	19
5:49	Peyton Watson enters the game for Michael Porter Jr.	16	19
5:49	Toumani Camara misses free throw 2 of 2	16	19
5:45	Scoot Henderson offensive rebound	16	19
5:39	Scoot Henderson makes 23-foot three point step back jumpshot (Toumani Camara assists)	19	19
5:39	Nuggets Full timeout	19	19
5:39	Dalano Banton enters the game for Scoot Henderson	19	19
5:20	Jamal Murray lost ball turnover (Toumani Camara steals)	19	19
5:20	Toumani Camara out of bounds bad pass turnover	19	19
5:01	Aaron Gordon makes 14-foot two point shot	19	21
4:37	Shaedon Sharpe makes 10-foot two point shot (Deni Avdija assists)	21	21
4:17	Jamal Murray makes 15-foot driving floating jump shot	21	23
4:07	Deni Avdija makes 1-foot driving dunk (Dalano Banton assists)	23	23
4:02	Jamal Murray bad pass (Shaedon Sharpe steals)	23	23
3:59	Duop Reath misses 25-foot three point jumper	23	23
3:56	Russell Westbrook defensive rebound	23	23
3:51	Russell Westbrook bad pass (Deni Avdija steals)	23	23
3:44	Dalano Banton misses 25-foot three point jumper	23	23
3:40	Deni Avdija offensive rebound	23	23
3:38	Shaedon Sharpe bad pass (Russell Westbrook steals)	23	23
3:21	Duop Reath shooting foul	23	23
3:21	Russell Westbrook makes free throw 1 of 2	23	24
3:21	Matisse Thybulle enters the game for Deni Avdija	23	24
3:21	Michael Porter Jr. enters the game for Christian Braun	23	24
3:21	Zeke Nnaji enters the game for Aaron Gordon	23	24
3:21	Russell Westbrook makes free throw 2 of 2	23	25
3:12	Shaedon Sharpe misses 25-foot three point step back jumpshot	23	25
3:09	Peyton Watson defensive rebound	23	25
2:56	Russell Westbrook offensive foul	23	25
2:56	Russell Westbrook turnover	23	25
2:56	Kris Murray enters the game for Shaedon Sharpe	23	25
2:56	Jalen Pickett enters the game for Russell Westbrook	23	25
2:46	Peyton Watson shooting foul	23	25
2:46	Toumani Camara makes free throw 1 of 2	24	25
2:46	Toumani Camara makes free throw 2 of 2	25	25
2:25	Jamal Murray makes 12-foot pullup jump shot	25	27
2:03	Toumani Camara misses 23-foot three point jumper	25	27
1:58	Zeke Nnaji defensive rebound	25	27
1:55	Michael Porter Jr. bad pass (Duop Reath steals)	25	27
1:47	Spencer Jones enters the game for Jamal Murray	25	27
1:26	Dalano Banton misses 27-foot three point jumper	25	27
1:24	Duop Reath offensive rebound	25	27
1:23	Duop Reath makes two point shot	27	27
1:06	Jalen Pickett makes 25-foot three pointer	27	30
48.1	Toumani Camara makes 14-foot driving floating jump shot (Dalano Banton assists)	29	30
48.1	Spencer Jones shooting foul	29	30
48.1	Toumani Camara makes free throw 1 of 1	30	30
28.0	Michael Porter Jr. misses 25-foot three point pullup jump shot	30	30
24.1	Matisse Thybulle defensive rebound	30	30
4.1	Dalano Banton misses 17-foot step back jumpshot	30	30
1.1	Peyton Watson defensive rebound	30	30
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	30	30

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Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

Moda Center

Portland, OR

Date & Time

2:00 AM, March 22, 2025

Coverage

BlazerVision, KUNP 16, Altitude Sports, KATU 2.2, NBA League Pass

Attendance

17,410

Referees

James Williams, Nick Buchert, Andy Nagy

2025-26 Northwest Standings

TEAM	W	L	PCT	STRK
Oklahoma City	46	15	.754	W1
Denver	37	23	.617	L1
Minnesota	37	23	.617	W2
Portland	29	32	.475	L1
Utah	18	42	.300	L5

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Avdija scores 36 points to lead Trail Blazers to a 128-109 win over Nuggets

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