Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said he felt good about how his team played.
“We just fought like crazy,” Billups said. “That’s just kind of what we do. I’m big on we either win or lose on our terms. We just fight to the end and try to play the right way. We played the way we wanted to play and we made them earn it. We were right there.”
The game appeared to be headed toward a blowout when the Blazers fell behind by 15 points in the first half, on their way to going 0 of 12 on three-pointers during the first two quarters.
But the Blazers dominated the third quarter, making 6 of 8 threes, and trailed just 85-83 heading into the fourth quarter.
Jabari Walker tied the game with a layup within the first minute of the fourth quarter. Later, Henderson hit a three to give the Blazers a 91-89 lead with about nine minutes remaining.
The lead, however, was short-lived. The Nuggets responded with a run that left them up 107-95 with 2:59 remaining.
Again, the Blazers came back to draw within 109-105 with 50.5 seconds to go. But the Nuggets made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
Reath led the Blazers with 24 points and eight rebounds. Henderson scored 22 to go with six assists. Camara put up 16 points, with a career-high seven assists and eight rebounds.
All told, the starting five produced 76 points on 30-of-60 shooting (50%).The Nuggets were led with 23 points from Reggie Jackson. Aaron Gordon had 22 points and 12 rebounds.
While Billups was pleased with his team’s overall performance, his lineup’s youth certainly revealed itself at times. Especially late in the game.
The Blazers finished with 16 turnovers. Six came in the fourth quarter, with several proving costly.
