PORTLAND, Ore. -- — Anfernee Simons made a driving layup at the buzzer to give the Portland Trail Blazers a 122-120 victory over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Simons drove to his right and got past defender Russell Westbrook, lofting the ball high off the glass as the horn sounded. He finished with 28 points and 10 assists.

Shaedon Sharpe scored 27 points for the Blazers, who snapped a six-game skid. Deni Avdija added 19 points and Deandre Ayton had 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Jokic had 34 points and eight assists for Denver. Jamal Murray added 24 points and 10 assists, and Westbrook scored 19 points.

Takeaways

Nuggets: Denver struggled defensively against the NBA’s third-worst offense.

Blazers: Ayton was solid in his return after Portland's starting center missed the previous two games with an illness.

Key moment

Denver trailed by 17 points at the start of the fourth quarter but rallied to take a two-point lead on Michael Porter Jr.'s dunk with just under a minute remaining. Simons and Sharpe made two free throws each to put Portland back on top before Jokic tied it on a layup with 16.8 seconds left.

Key stat

Portland shot 46.4% to Denver's 54%, but the Blazers got to the foul line more often and made five more free throws on the night. Portland made 16 3-pointers to Denver's 15.

Up next

Nuggets: At New Orleans on Sunday.

Trail Blazers: At San Antonio on Saturday.

------

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

Play By Play

Recent plays and game events

TIME	PLAY
12:00	Nikola Jokic vs. Deandre Ayton (Jamal Murray gains possession)	0	0
11:52	Aaron Gordon misses 24-foot three point pullup jump shot	0	0
11:49	Deandre Ayton defensive rebound	0	0
11:29	Toumani Camara misses 26-foot three point jumper	0	0
11:26	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	0	0
11:15	Michael Porter Jr. misses 28-foot three point jumper	0	0
11:11	Anfernee Simons defensive rebound	0	0
11:06	Shaedon Sharpe misses 23-foot three point shot	0	0
11:03	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	0	0
10:50	Jamal Murray misses 26-foot three point jumper	0	0
10:47	Deandre Ayton defensive rebound	0	0
10:32	Jerami Grant bad pass (Christian Braun steals)	0	0
10:29	Christian Braun makes two point shot	0	2
10:05	Jerami Grant makes 26-foot three point jumper (Anfernee Simons assists)	3	2
9:57	Deandre Ayton blocks Nikola Jokic 's 2-foot driving layup	3	2
9:55	Deandre Ayton defensive rebound	3	2
9:50	Jamal Murray personal foul	3	2
9:42	Jerami Grant misses 22-foot three point jumper	3	2
9:39	Toumani Camara offensive rebound	3	2
9:36	Shaedon Sharpe makes driving layup (Anfernee Simons assists)	5	2
9:09	Nikola Jokic misses 9-foot two point shot	5	2
9:07	Toumani Camara defensive rebound	5	2
9:01	Anfernee Simons makes 10-foot driving floating jump shot (Toumani Camara assists)	7	2
8:49	Jamal Murray makes 1-foot layup (Nikola Jokic assists)	7	4
8:38	Anfernee Simons bad pass (Jamal Murray steals)	7	4
8:32	Christian Braun makes two point shot (Jamal Murray assists)	7	6
8:13	Shaedon Sharpe misses 17-foot step back jumpshot	7	6
8:11	Toumani Camara offensive rebound	7	6
8:11	Toumani Camara makes tip shot	9	6
8:01	Christian Braun makes 25-foot three point step back jumpshot (Nikola Jokic assists)	9	9
7:44	Jerami Grant misses dunk	9	9
7:42	Shaedon Sharpe offensive rebound	9	9
7:39	Aaron Gordon shooting foul	9	9
7:39	Jerami Grant makes free throw 1 of 2	10	9
7:39	Jerami Grant makes free throw 2 of 2	11	9
7:27	Toumani Camara personal foul	11	9
7:27	Scoot Henderson enters the game for Anfernee Simons	11	9
7:15	Nikola Jokic makes 7-foot driving floating jump shot (Jamal Murray assists)	11	11
7:01	Jerami Grant makes 24-foot three point jumper (Shaedon Sharpe assists)	14	11
6:52	Michael Porter Jr. makes 1-foot alley oop dunk shot (Jamal Murray assists)	14	13
6:40	Deandre Ayton misses driving floating jump shot	14	13
6:38	Deandre Ayton offensive rebound	14	13
6:35	Deandre Ayton makes 4-foot two point shot	16	13
6:30	Nikola Jokic makes 2-foot two point shot (Aaron Gordon assists)	16	15
6:25	Shaedon Sharpe misses 26-foot three point pullup jump shot	16	15
6:23	Jerami Grant offensive rebound	16	15
6:15	Jerami Grant misses driving layup	16	15
6:13	Shaedon Sharpe offensive rebound	16	15
6:13	Shaedon Sharpe makes dunk	18	15
6:12	Nuggets Full timeout	18	15
6:12	Deni Avdija enters the game for Shaedon Sharpe	18	15
6:12	Russell Westbrook enters the game for Jamal Murray	18	15
5:55	Michael Porter Jr. makes 23-foot three point jumper (Nikola Jokic assists)	18	18
5:40	Scoot Henderson misses driving floating jump shot	18	18
5:37	Nikola Jokic defensive rebound	18	18
5:30	Christian Braun makes dunk (Russell Westbrook assists)	18	20
5:06	Toumani Camara back court turnover	18	20
4:55	Nikola Jokic makes 13-foot step back jumpshot (Russell Westbrook assists)	18	22
4:43	Scoot Henderson misses 24-foot three point jumper	18	22
4:39	Scoot Henderson offensive rebound	18	22
4:38	Deandre Ayton traveling	18	22
4:24	Deni Avdija shooting foul	18	22
4:24	Christian Braun makes free throw 1 of 2	18	23
4:24	Christian Braun makes free throw 2 of 2	18	24
4:06	Jerami Grant makes driving layup	20	24
3:55	Michael Porter Jr. makes 25-foot three pointer (Nikola Jokic assists)	20	27
3:46	Jerami Grant misses 22-foot three point jumper	20	27
3:43	Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound	20	27
3:20	Michael Porter Jr. makes 15-foot pullup jump shot (Christian Braun assists)	20	29
3:06	Scoot Henderson misses 6-foot two point shot	20	29
3:04	Nikola Jokic defensive rebound	20	29
3:01	Russell Westbrook bad pass (Toumani Camara steals)	20	29
2:57	Scoot Henderson misses 22-foot three point shot	20	29
2:55	Deandre Ayton offensive rebound	20	29
2:51	Deandre Ayton makes 11-foot two point shot	22	29
2:33	Toumani Camara shooting foul	22	29
2:33	Trail Blazers Full timeout	22	29
2:33	Donovan Clingan enters the game for Deandre Ayton	22	29
2:33	Robert Williams III enters the game for Jerami Grant	22	29
2:33	Anfernee Simons enters the game for Toumani Camara	22	29
2:33	Julian Strawther enters the game for Christian Braun	22	29
2:33	Jamal Murray enters the game for Michael Porter Jr.	22	29
2:33	Aaron Gordon misses free throw 1 of 2	22	29
2:33	Nuggets offensive team rebound	22	29
2:33	Aaron Gordon misses free throw 2 of 2	22	29
2:28	Robert Williams III defensive rebound	22	29
2:16	Scoot Henderson misses two point shot	22	29
2:13	Robert Williams III offensive rebound	22	29
2:11	Aaron Gordon shooting foul	22	29
2:11	Deni Avdija makes free throw 1 of 2	23	29
2:11	Peyton Watson enters the game for Aaron Gordon	23	29
2:11	Deni Avdija makes free throw 2 of 2	24	29
2:00	Russell Westbrook lost ball turnover (Scoot Henderson steals)	24	29
1:55	Deni Avdija makes 28-foot three point shot (Anfernee Simons assists)	27	29
1:39	Russell Westbrook makes driving layup	27	31
1:32	Deni Avdija bad pass (Jamal Murray steals)	27	31
1:27	Jamal Murray makes two point shot	27	33
1:04	Scoot Henderson makes 22-foot three point jumper (Anfernee Simons assists)	30	33
52.1	Julian Strawther misses 25-foot three point jumper	30	33
49.1	Peyton Watson offensive rebound	30	33
46.2	Peyton Watson makes two point shot	30	35
24.1	Scoot Henderson misses 26-foot three point step back jumpshot	30	35
21.0	Nikola Jokic defensive rebound	30	35
6.1	Nikola Jokic vs. Robert Williams III (Julian Strawther gains possession)	30	35
0.0	End of the 1st Quarter	30	35

Related Tags

Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Live StreamWatch Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers FreeNuggets vs Trail Blazers Live ScoreDEN vs POR GameNBA Stream Denver NuggetsNBA Stream Portland Trail BlazersModa CenterNBA Live StreamBasketball Streams

Explore More

Denver Nuggets Standings Portland Trail Blazers Standings Denver Nuggets Stats Portland Trail Blazers Stats NBA Standings NBA Schedule

Article Sections

Check all game sections

Game Information

Time, Location & Referees

Venue

Moda Center

Portland, OR

Date & Time

3:00 AM, December 20, 2024

Coverage

NBA League Pass, KATU 2.2, Altitude 2 Sports

Attendance

16,753

Referees

CJ Washington, Kevin Scott, Sha'Rae Mitchell

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

Need Help?

Explore our comprehensive NBA streams guide for all available options and platform comparisons.

View Streaming Guide

Trail Blazers

Nuggets

Simons' buzzer-beating layup gives the Blazers a 122-120 win over the Nuggets

Game Analysis

Regular Season Series

Game Analysis

Game Stats

Game Article

Game Recap