The Denver Nuggets took on the Portland Trail Blazers tonight, again without starting center Joffrey Lauvergne and this time without backup point guard Jameer Nelson. After a close game all the way through and a dominating performance from Damian Lillard to aid the Blazers, the Nuggets were able to come away with a win, 108-104, after great performances from Emmanuel Mudiay, J.J. Hickson and Kenneth Faried. Hickson, for the second time, filled in nicely for Lauvergne as he scored 19 points and brought down 13 rebounds. He also hit four clutch free throws at the end of the game to help the Nuggets pull away once and for all. His frontcourt sidekick Faried chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Mudiay showed us he has the potential to be great in the clutch as he hit a jump shot when it counted and two free throws of his own with less than 30 seconds remaining and the Nuggets only up by two.

This was truly a game of runs from start to finish, but especially from the third quarter on. The Nuggets would go on a 7-0 run, only to have it answered by the Blazers immediately afterwards. The biggest lead of the game for either team was only seven points, but the Nuggets were able to win their first game at home to start a three-game homestand. Stay tuned for the full recap, up shortly. Meanwhile, check out some of the best plays from the night.

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Box score via espn.com