Portland, OR (Best E Casino) - There was nothing wrong with Nicolas Batum's
left knee on Saturday.
Batum returned from a brief two-game absence and nailed a franchise record
nine three-pointers en route to a career-high 33 points as the Portland
Trail Blazers routed the Denver Nuggets, 117-97.
"All I could do today was shoot from the three-point line, that's it," Batum
said.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points and nine rebounds while Marcus Camby pulled
down 20 boards for the Blazers, who moved to 11-1 at the Rose Garden this
season.
Danilo Gallinari netted 20 points while Kosta Koufos finished with 16 points
and 12 rebounds for the Nuggets, who have lost four of their last five games.
"They're one of the best home teams in basketball. The times we played them,
they're a top-five team. They've played great," Nuggets head coach George Karl
said.
Batum's three-pointer late in the first quarter capped a 10-4 Blazers run as
the hosts took a 33-24 advantage before taking a 33-26 lead into the second.
Back-to-back Batum treys gave Portland its largest lead of the half, 50-34,
with 7:24 to play in second.
But the Nuggets closed the stanza on a 10-2 run, cutting the margin to 59-53
heading into the locker room. Batum had five treys and 17 points in the first
half.
The Blazers pulled away in the third quarter.
Koufos' reverse layup pulled the Nuggets within 68-63, but the Blazers
responded with a 17-4 run to make it 85-67 with 1:20 to go in the third.
Aldridge had eight points during the flurry, which Batum capped with his sixth
three-pointer. Portland led, 85-71, after three.
Batum buried three more treys in the final quarter as the Blazers led by as
many as 27, cruising to the easy win.
Game Notes
The Blazers scored 24 points off 17 Denver turnovers...Seven of Camby's
rebounds were offensive boards...Gerald Wallace added 17 points, five rebounds
and four assists for Portland...The Blazers were 15-of-33 from beyond the
arc...Portland dished out 30 assists.
