NBA: Nuggets pick up franchise-record 55 victories

The Denver Nuggets set franchise records for home wins (37) and wins in a season (55), via a 118-109 clobbering of the Portland Trail Blazers, Sunday (Monday, PHL time) at the Pepsi Center, in Denver, Colorado.

The Nuggets' record stands at 55-25, good for the third seed in the Western Conference, with a game above the 54-26 Memphis Grizzlies. The Blazers on the other hand continue slip, falling to an 11th straight defeat, currently the worst skid in the league.

In the first quarter, disaster struck the Nuggets when forward Kenneth Faried had to leave the game, following an early ankle sprain.

However, Denver was able to push the injury aside, and led by as much as 20 points in the third quarter, 83-63, on an Anthony Randolph tip-in of a Kosta Koufos miss, 4:49 remaining. Portland though would go on to concede just six more points, while scoring 15 themselves, to make it an 11-point affair, 89-78, with a quarter still to come.

A basket by Victor Claver and a split at the line from JJ Hickson made it a three-point game, 104-101 with 3:33 remaining, but a 7-1 run from Denver, capped by a trey from Evan Fournier, gave the home team some breathing room, 111-102, still 2:40 on the clock.

Free throws and a triple by rookie Damian Lillard made the difference six, 113-107, but the Nuggets put the game away when Ty Lawson scored on a lay-up. Then, after Luke Babbit missed a three-pointer, Fournier showed him how it was done with his three-ball, to end any comeback hopes by Portland.

Andre Iguodala led Denver with 28 points, plus seven rebounds, nine assists, three steals and three blocks. Evan Fournier added 24 markers on 8-of-12 shooting, while Anthony Randolph came off the bench with 18 points.

Ty Lawson quarterbacked the Nuggets with 12 points and 10 dimes.

Rookie Damian Lillard scored a team-high 30 points, along with five rebounds  and six assists, but he had eight of his team's 21 miscues. JJ Hickson managed 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Blazers, who were without veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and Nic Batum.

Denver shot 53.1 percent from the floor and came up with 15 steals in the win. - AMD, GMA News