NBA Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings

Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings 125-117

Even with a new coach, the Denver Nuggets still love to push the basketball. That's exactly what they did best Sunday night against short-handed Sacramento.
Ty Lawson scored 27 points and Wilson Chandler had 20 for the Nuggets, who used their fast-paced philosophy to beat the struggling Kings 125-117. Following an emotional home win over Indiana on Saturday and a late-night flight to Sacramento, the Nuggets played the up-tempo game that was encouraged for years by George Karl and has continued under rookie coach Brian Shaw.
Denver shot nearly 52 per cent, made 10 3-pointers and bothered the Kings enough at the defensive end to force 16 turnovers — many of them contributing to Denver's 33 fast-break points. It was a season high allowed by the Kings, who have had trouble all season slowing down opponents. The Nuggets are 12-2 this season when scoring at least 110 points. "We come out and run and play with energy, that's our game," Lawson said. "If we don't do that, we're not going to win many games." It was the second consecutive victory for the Nuggets, who went ahead late in the third quarter and never trailed again. Denver was coming off a 109-96 victory over the Pacers, who have the best record in the NBA. The Nuggets (22-21) now return home for games against Charlotte, Toronto, the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee. "It's the first time this year we have followed up a good win with another one," Shaw said. "If we take care of business at home we can really build some momentum." The Kings, who have dropped three straight and five of six, played their second consecutive game without leading scorers DeMarcus Cousins (ankle sprain) and Rudy Gay (Achilles strain). The two combine for nearly 43 points per game and are day to day. Chandler scored seven points in the fourth quarter and Kenneth Faried finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets. Timofey Mozgov added 14 points, while Nate Robinson and Randy Foye had 12 apiece. "We're starting to come around as a team," said Chandler, who made three 3-pointers and added five of Denver's 28 assists. "We're getting used to each other. We have 10 or 11 guys who can play and we don't lose a thing, no matter who is on the court." Isaiah Thomas had 22 points and eight assists for Sacramento, and Marcus Thornton scored 19. Ben McLemore added 18 points, Jason Thompson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick Williams scored 12. "We never got defensive in the game tonight," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Both teams shot the ball the exact same field goal percentage (51.9 per cent). We were not going to outscore that team. We put up 117 points and yet everyone is worried about Rudy Gay and DeMarcus being out. I haven't been worried about our offence once this year." Denver didn't have a field goal in the final 3:30 of the game, but stayed on top thanks to its foul shooting. The Nuggets made 14 of 19 free throws down the stretch, most of them in the final 3 minutes. A pair of free throws by J.J. Hickson gave Denver a seven-point lead. Robinson made one of two attempts at the line with 1:02 left, putting the Nuggets up 119-113. Lawson hit two free throws and Chandler made four straight, increasing the lead to 10. "We just couldn't get any consecutive stops in the fourth quarter," McLemore said. "We would get a stop here, but not consecutively. What happened was that we turned the ball over too much tonight. That's what allowed them to score 125 points and 58 points in the paint. It was us not defending and turnovers." Leading by two points, the Nuggets opened the fourth quarter with a surge, taking a 111-102 lead on a 3-pointer by Robinson. But Denver went scoreless for more than 3 minutes before Lawson scored for a 113-107 advantage. Lawson gave the Kings all sorts of trouble in the third quarter, scoring 12 points to help Denver take a 95-94 lead into the fourth. Thornton scored 10 for the Kings. The Nuggets ran off eight unanswered points to open an eight-point lead in the third. But the Kings countered with a 15-2 run, including seven points from Thomas and six from Thornton, to pull ahead 80-75 at the 4:36 mark. Foye had 12 first-half points and Lawson 11 for Denver, which led 65-59 at halftime. McLemore scored 10 off the bench for the Kings, who had 12 turnovers that led to 20 points.

NBA Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers

Golden State Warriors vs Portland Trail Blazers 103-88

Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson has been pleading with his players to improve their defensive effort and efficiency for most of the last two weeks. They finally answered his call. Stephen Curry had 38 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and the Warriors used a smothering defence to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 103-88 on Sunday night. "Just what the doctor ordered," Jackson said. Curry, the Western Conference's newly elected All-Star starting point guard, shot 13 of 23 from the floor while wearing shiny gold shoes to carry the offensive load. The Warriors did it all on defence together, though, building a 22-point lead midway through the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Golden State outshot Portland 41.8 per cent to 33.7 per cent and forced 15 turnovers while committing only nine. It was a season low in points and shooting percentage and it tied the largest margin of defeat for the Blazers, who entered averaging an NBA-best 109.5 points. "Just the will to win," Curry said. "We understand that's been one of our problems — just letting teams kind of cake walk around on the offensive end doing whatever they want to do early in the game." Damian Lillard had 16 points and four assists, and Wesley Matthews scored 21 for the Blazers, who had a quick turnaround after beating Minnesota in Portland on Saturday night. The Blazers had not been held below 40 per cent shooting all season. The defeat equaled a 116-101 loss to Houston on Nov. 5 for Portland's most lopsided margin. "That was a rough game," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "The first half both teams played pretty well, but the second half we didn't have much going at the offensive end. Golden State did a nice job with its defence. It was just one of those nights where we just didn't have enough at the offensive end." David Lee added 17 points and 12 rebounds while playing with a sprained left shoulder, and Klay Thompson scored 17 for a Warriors team that had lost three straight at home. Jackson has been waiting for his team to correct its defensive deficiencies of late, even after victories. Golden State allowed an average of 92.8 points during a 10-game winning streak before dropping five of its last seven overall, allowing 108.4 points in those contests, including an average of 115 in the five losses. The Warriors never let the Blazers get comfortable. LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with 11 rebounds and 10 points on 2-of-14 shooting, didn't score until 2:18 remained in the second quarter. "Just one of those nights where I couldn't get going and I didn't find a rhythm," Aldridge said. And the only time Aldridge started to get going, the Warriors responded. Andrew Bogut got into a skirmish with Aldridge after the whistle in the third quarter, then Aldridge tossed the ball at the Warriors centre. Officials called a technical foul on both players. The Warriors responded with a 16-2 run, with Curry connecting from outside and Lee cleaning up on the inside. Golden State held a 76-67 lead entering the fourth quarter, when it quickly turned the game into a rout. "What I like is we paid attention to detail," Jackson said. "We didn't have any game-plan breakdown. We battled. We competed. We made multiple-effort plays and we continued it all night long." Golden State started the final quarter on a 12-2 run to take control. Lee's layup put the Warriors up 91-69 with 7:18 remaining, leaving little drama late. Portland pulled to 94-85 on Matthews' free throws with 2:56 to play. Curry then connected on a jumper and a 3-pointer sandwiched around a free throw by Lillard to send most of the sellout crowd of 19,596 heading to the exits early — and happy. Curry, who doesn't usually guard opposing point guards, checked Lillard most of the game and never let the Oakland native find his stroke. "We can score the ball, but it stinks to come in the locker room and you see everybody had big nights, we just isolate the offensive end but we end up losing and it's all for nothing," Curry said. "Games like this when you get a win and figure out how to close it out and get stops, it makes what we can do as a team on the offensive end that much more special."

NBA Dallas Mavericks vs Detroit Pistons

Dallas Mavericks vs Detroit Pistons 116-106

Dirk Nowitzki's sore left knee isn't holding him back and Devin Harris is progressing just fine after off-season toe surgery. Nowitzki scored 28 points, Harris had a season-high 14 for the second straight game and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Detroit Pistons 116-106 Sunday night. With Monta Ellis struggling to take care of the ball — he had eight of Dallas' 17 turnovers — Harris offered a steady hand in just his fifth game of the season after a setback in recovery cost him an extra month. "I'm making the most of my experience on the floor, trying to get used to playing with different guys in different situations," said Harris, who led Dallas with seven assists while making just one turnover. "I'm using this as kind of my training camp." Brandon Jennings had 26 points and seven assists to lead the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight. Josh Smith had 25 points and eight rebounds, while Greg Monroe had 20 points and nine boards. Jose Calderon scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting for Dallas, including a jumper that put the lead back in double digits for good with 2:37 remaining. Nowitzki was 10 of 16 from the field in his second straight game wearing a sleeve on his sore left knee after sitting out a loss in Toronto. It's not the knee that required surgery and sidelined him the first 27 games last season. The 7-footer had a pair of 3s and eight points in the fourth, including one that pushed the lead back to 13 during a stretch of three straight buckets assisted by Harris. Nowitzki scored five straight points in the final 2 minutes after the Pistons had earlier pulled within eight, and he led Dallas with nine rebounds and threw in four assists. "We know Dirk," Detroit coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We've known it for a long time. He can make a play for himself or give it to somebody else. He makes those 3s at the right time." Harris scored five straight points in the final minute of the third quarter to break a 79-all tie, hitting a long jumper and the pulling up for a 3-pointer in transition. His other 3 early in the fourth capped a 15-2 run for a 94-81 Dallas lead. "On a night when Monta couldn't get it going, it's a godsend to have a guy like Devin available," coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's an experienced NBA player who's really done everything." The Pistons got within five midway through the fourth, but Vince Carter hit a layup to start an 8-0 run as the Mavericks answered consecutive losses on an East Coast trip by winning the opener of a four-game homestand that includes a pair of two-day breaks. After Carter's bucket, Brandan Wright had one of his three fourth-quarter blocks on a drive by Kyle Singler, and Calderon hit a layup in transition at the other end. "We were close several times in the game to kind of blowing the top off and we got sloppy with the ball," said Wright, whose three blocks were matched by Sam Dalembert. "But we stuck with it." The Pistons opened the second half with a 12-2 run to get even at 58-all. Jennings scored seven straight Detroit points and had 12 in the third quarter, including a 3-pointer that gave Detroit its first lead since late in the first quarter. Jennings' go-ahead bucket triggered a stretch of four lead changes and four ties in the third. "We made a nice run," Cheeks said. "I thought Brandon played well in the third quarter. He was the difference in why we came back." The Mavericks made 10 of their first 12 shots, but had seven turnovers in the first 9 minutes. DeJuan Blair's layup finished an 8-0 run that gave Dallas its biggest lead of the first half at 49-37, but Detroit answered with seven straight points capped by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's layup after a bad pass from Nowitzki, one of Dallas' 11 first-half turnovers.

NBA Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics 85-79

Kevin Garnett stole the ball from his friend and put the finishing touch on an emotional night with a layup that helped him and Paul Pierce become winners in their return to Boston. It started with pregame standing ovations for the leaders of the Celtics last championship team and ended with an 85-79 win for the Brooklyn Nets after Garnett picked off Rajon Rondo's turnover and dribbled in slowly for an uncontested basket with 20 seconds left Sunday night. "I knew they needed a 3 at that point and I just played the passing lane," Garnett said. "I thought I was going to get caught, but I got it." That gave Brooklyn an 82-77 lead. It was a rare highlight for the returning stars in a game in which they fought to control their emotions while still trying to contribute to their current team. "I had lumps in my throat and I tried to focus as much as I could," Pierce said. "I'm happy we got it over with and I can go back to playing basketball." Pierce, the second leading scorer in Celtics history, and Garnett scored just six points each, and Pierce missed eight of his 10 shots. But they received several standing ovations on the court where they won the team's 17th championship in 2008. They also were honoured in tributes shown on the video screen early in the game six months after a blockbuster trade sent them to Brooklyn. "It was, by far, the hardest day that I had to focus," said Garnett, a 19-year veteran. "It's a good homecoming." Andray Blatche scored 17 points and Alan Anderson and Andrei Kirilenko had 11 each as the Nets won for the 10th time in 11 games. The Celtics, losing for the 17th time in 20 games, were led by Brandon Bass with 17 points. Rondo had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists one night after having dinner with Pierce and Garnett. During the video tribute to Garnett in a timeout with 2:25 left in the first quarter, he stood near his bench with a white towel draped over his head. He smiled, pounded the left side of his chest and waved several times to the crowd. The tribute to Pierce at the end of the first quarter was longer and drew a louder ovation. He looked up at the video board above centre court with a sombre expression. The camera panned to him on the court showing him repeatedly mouthing the words, "thank you." Celtics coach Brad Stevens quickly gave his players instructions then let them watch the tributes. "It was the right thing to do," he said. "Not much in my life is bigger than the next possession, but that is." Pierce spent 15 seasons with the Celtics after they drafted him with the 10th pick in 1998. Garnett was obtained in a trade with Minnesota before the 2007-08 season and, with Pierce and Ray Allen, led Boston to their most recent championship. But the Celtics are in full rebuilding mode now and trailed 59-53 after three quarters then allowed the first six points of the fourth as the Nets led by 12. Boston cut the lead to 73-70 on a 3-pointer by Chris Johnson, playing on a 10-day contract, with 4:37 remaining. The Nets scored the next five points on a layup by Kirilenko, a free throw by Deron Williams and a jumper by Pierce. That made it 78-70. With the score 80-72, Boston cut the deficit to three on a field goal by Bass and a 3-pointer by Rondo, two of only five current Celtics who played with Pierce and Garnett last season. "We got caught up in (their return)," Bass said, "but for the most part we had a job to do." Joe Johnson then missed his shot and Rondo rebounded, giving Boston a chance to tie with a 3-pointer. He moved the ball upcourt only to lose it to Garnett, who went in for Brooklyn's final field goal. "He's done it all year for us defensively," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "He's always in the right place at the right time." Pierce scored his first two points of the game on free throws 1:08 into the third quarter then hit his first field goal, a 16-foot jumper that capped a 10-0 Nets run 2:51 into the period. "It was just a special thing for me," Pierce said, "through my bad times, through my immature times, through my growing up, becoming a man for this city and winning a championship, everybody sticking with me. I would just like to tell them, 'thank you.' "

NBA New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic

New Orleans Pelicans vs Orlando Magic 100-92

Anthony Davis soared to the rim, the ball held high above his head in his outstretched right hand. Orlando's Glen Davis tried to get in the way, only to be driven back into the padding under the basket as the Pelicans' forward slammed home a windmill jam. New Orleans' 20-year-old star took a triumphant stride over the baseline and glared intensely at the crazed crowd, his arms stiff at his side. The play gave New Orleans an eight-point lead with 1:24 left, punctuating a memorable all-around performance that lifted the Pelicans to a 100-92 victory over the Magic on Sunday night. "I just decided to go up strong, try to dunk it," Davis said. "That just energized the crowd, kind of deflated (Orlando) a little bit and got us going. That was a big play. That's what we needed." Davis finished with 22 points, a career-high 19 rebounds and seven blocked shots. It marked the first time since the franchise was founded as the Charlotte Hornets in 1988 that a player on the club had that many points, rebounds and blocks in the same game. "His ability to finish in traffic and over top of defenders is second to none," Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. "When the moment was there tonight, he took over and that's what All-Stars do." It isn't certain Davis will be on the Western Conference squad when New Orleans hosts the NBA All-Star game Feb. 16. He wasn't voted in by fans as a starter, but could be selected by coaches as a reserve. "I'm not really worried about that. I'm worried about winning," Davis said. "We know we're not where we want to be record-wise. That's what we've got to focus on, what I've got to focus on. ... If it happens, it happens, but I'm trying to get more wins for the team." Davis may very well get a vote from Magic coach Jacque Vaughn, who expressed concerns about containing Davis before the game, then saw his fears realized. "I prefer not to be proven correct," Vaughn said. "He's a great talent. ... He was trouble for us throughout the course of the night." Davis had seven of his rebounds on the offensive end, part of the reason New Orleans had 14 second-chance points. "We've slowed him down before on the offensive glass, but tonight, he had his way with us," Magic forward Kyle O'Quinn said. Tyreke Evans scored 13 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help ensure New Orleans' first back-to-back wins in nearly a month. Led by Arron Afflalo's 25 points, the Magic twice got as close as three points late in the fourth quarter, the last time on Tobias Harris' runner with 4:26 to go. Victor Oladipo 18 points and five steals for Orlando, while Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds and Jameer Nelson scored 15 points. Brian Roberts had 15 points and Eric Gordon 14 for the Pelicans. Orlando outshot New Orleans 46.8 per cent (36 of 77) to 45.7 per cent (37 of 81), but New Orleans outscored Orlando at the foul line, 21-15, and outrebounded the Magic 48-32. New Orleans also converted 17 Magic turnovers into 30 points. The Magic, who have lost 13 of 15 games, never led during the final three quarters, but kept it close much of the second half. New Orleans led 62-58 after a 6-0 Magic spurt during which Oladipo hit two free throws, converted a steal from Gordon into a fast-break dunk, then stole the ball from Roberts to set up Afflalo's layup. Gordon halted the surge with a step-back jumper from 19 feet, and Anthony Davis' two-handed jam capped an 11-2 run that put the Pelicans back up by 13. Orlando closed the third quarter with Afflalo's 3 and two layups by Nelson, and cut New Orleans' lead to 75-71 on E'Tauwn Moore's floater to open the fourth quarter. Evans responded with a reverse layup as he was fouled, and scored all 10 Pelicans points through the first 6:33 of the final period to help New Orleans maintain a slim lead. "Whenever they got close, I just thought I had to take over and try to get to the basket," Evans said. Evans also fed Davis for an alley-oop jam that made it 94-88. New Orleans started fast, erasing its final deficit of the game on Darius Miller's 3-pointer late in the first period. When Miller hit his second 3 in the second quarter, it capped a 22-6 run that put New Orleans up 38-23, and New Orleans led 54-44 at halftime.

NBA Phoenix Suns vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Phoenix Suns vs Cleveland Cavaliers 99-90

The Phoenix Suns pulled off a memorable comeback. For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was a collapse they won't soon forget. The Suns, who looked as though they were about to get run out of the building, rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit by dominating the final two quarters for a 99-90 win Sunday night. "We were getting embarrassed," said Markieff Morris, who led Phoenix with 27 points. "Everybody knew it. That's why we said if we were going to lose, we were going to go down fighting." Cleveland coach Mike Brown had a simple assessment of his team's meltdown. "It was hard to watch," he said. "It's disappointing we came out and played that way, and we should all feel embarrassed for the way we played in the second half." The Suns held Cleveland to six points in the third quarter and outscored the Cavaliers 56-29 in the second half. Channing Frye finished with 16 points, including four 3-pointers after halftime, and Goran Dragic scored 15 to help Phoenix rally on the first stop of a four-game road trip. "We were so, so bad in the first half, but at least everyone knew how bad we were," said Suns forward P.J. Tucker, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds. "When we were down, everyone was like, 'We're good.' That's the kind of faith we have in our team, but we can't keep doing this." The Cavaliers, who led by 20 late in the second quarter, fell to 1-3 on a five-game homestand considered crucial to their chances of staying in the Eastern Conference playoff race. "They outworked us in the second half, simply put," said All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who led Cleveland with 24 points. Cavaliers centre Anderson Varejao injured his left leg late in the fourth quarter. He was down on the court for several minutes, but remained in the game. Varejao, who has battled injuries the last three seasons, will be checked by the team's medical staff on Monday. "I was worried," Brown said. "His knee was bothering him a little bit. It was tough to see." Phoenix trailed 61-43 at halftime, but hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter. Tucker scored on an offensive rebound with 45 seconds left to put Phoenix ahead 68-67, its first lead since 9-6 just 4 minutes into the game. The Cavaliers were 2 of 22 from the field in the third and set a season low for points in a quarter. Cleveland's 29 points after halftime marked a season worst for a half. "I got on their case at halftime because we didn't give effort in the first half," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "It was the defence that did it. We got stops and that started it. Then all of a sudden, the other team was back on their heels." The Suns broke away from a 70-all tie with 11 straight points early in the fourth. Leandro Barbosa's free throw put Phoenix ahead for good. Morris scored six points in the run before Barbosa's steal and layup made it 81-70 with 8:38 remaining. Irving's two free throws with 2:06 to play cut it to 88-85. The teams traded baskets before Frye's 3-pointer made it 93-87 with 1:14 remaining. Phoenix shot just 39 per cent in the first half, when its starters combined for 24 points. Morris scored 15 off the bench. The Suns came out firing in the third quarter, forcing Cleveland to call timeout twice in the first 5 minutes. Frye hit 3s on three straight possessions, Gerald Green added a 3-pointer and a jumper, and a 3 by Dragic helped cut the lead to 65-61. Phoenix trimmed the lead to two on two occasions. Ish Smith's free throw with 1:13 remaining made it 67-66 before Tucker put the Suns ahead. Cleveland ended the second quarter on a 22-10 run sparked by Luol Deng's 10 points and six by Irving. The Cavaliers led 39-33 with 7:39 remaining in the period when Deng hit two jumpers, a layup and four free throws. He also found Jarrett Jack in the corner for a 3-pointer with a pass from the top of the key. Irving added a pair of jumpers and two foul shots. Irving had 13 points and seven assists in the first half. The third-year guard, elected an All-Star starter for the first time last week, had six assists in the first quarter, including Cleveland's first four baskets of the game. Deng had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in the first half. The Suns opened a road trip in which they will play four games in five nights. Phoenix went 1-4 on a trip earlier this month.

NBA Portland Trail Blazers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Portland Trail Blazers vs Minnesota Timberwolves 115-104

 

Everyone it seems was talking about the showdown between Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge and Minnesota's Kevin Love. Except Aldridge and Love. "All he kept saying was 'All I care about is the win,'" teammate Mo Williams said of Aldridge. "Much ado about nothing," Love countered. In the end, Aldridge had 21 points to help the Trail Blazers down the Timberwolves 115-104 on Saturday night. Love, coming off a back-to-back, had 15 points and 13 rebounds. "We didn't both particularly have a great game," Love said. "Other people stepped up on both of our teams — but he came away with the win." It was the Trail Blazers' 33rd win — matching their total from all of last season. Aldridge hit a long jumper and drew a foul to give the Blazers a 100-88 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard's 3-pointer pushed the lead to 105-88 and Minnesota could never catch up. Aldridge is 12-3 in head-to-heads with Love. Kevin Martin led the Timberwolves with 30 points, while Nikola Pekovic had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Love, named Thursday as an Western Conference All-Star starter, went into the game against the Blazers averaging 25 points and 13 rebounds, but some Portland fans and players felt Aldridge — averaging 24.7 points and 11.6 rebounds — deserved the starting nod because of his role in the team's success this season. Aldridge scored a career-high 44 points and had 13 rebounds following the All-Star announcement in Portland's come-from-behind victory at home over Denver on Thursday night. Afterward he said he "definitely" thought he should have made it. The 6-foot-11 seventh-year veteran can still make the team as a reserve — as he has for the past two seasons — when the coaches' selections are announced later this month. Love is a first-time All-Star starter after leap-frogging Houston Rockets centre Dwight Howard in the final fan balloting. "I think it's a little sweeter this way because I really didn't expect it," he said following the announcement. Earlier this season, Love had 29 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in Minnesota's 120-109 home victory over the Blazers on Dec. 18. Love said his knees felt the previous night's 121-120 victory at Golden State all through the game against Portland. "Last night I took a pretty bad hit from Harrison Barnes and every time I sat down during the game my knees stiffened up a little." Aldridge, who had his 11th straight game with 20 or more points, also cited some fatigue. "I thought both guys competed," he said of the matchup. "I was a little tired and I thought he was tired on the second night of a back-to-back." While fans were expecting Aldridge to come out and make a statement, teammate Nicolas Batum quickly tallied 11 points and five rebounds in the first quarter. Love had 10 points to lead Minnesota, which finished the first leading 29-27. The Blazers then took off on a 16-4 run, capped by Thomas Robinson's fast-break dunk, to take a 43-33 lead. Williams, who finished with 16 points off the bench, had 10 points in the spurt. Portland led 65-57 at the break. Three straight dunks from Pekovic — off feeds from Ricky Rubio — tied the game at 73 midway through the third quarter. But the Timberwolves didn't pull ahead until Martin's 3-pointer made it 79-78 with 3:50 left in the period. The Blazers answered by finishing out the quarter on an 8-2 run to lead 87-81. Portland pushed its lead to 95-86 on consecutive jumpers from rookie C.J. McCollum. The Blazers outscored the Timberwolves 60-46 in the paint, and Portland's bench outscored Minnesota's 34-15. "The second half we just ran out of gas," Minnesota coach Rick Adelman said. "I noticed it. We made runs at them, we caught them in the third quarter, but they kept having one more run."