PORTLAND, Ore. - Carmelo Anthony scored 19 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, and the Denver Nuggets were helped by Portland's trouble at the free-throw line for a 97-94 victory on Thursday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge missed the front end of a double bonus situation to tie the game with less than a minute to play in regulation, and Greg Oden missed a pair of free throws with 4.6 seconds left, squandering a chance for Portland to go ahead. After Oden's misses, Anthony made a pair, and Brandon Roy missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.
Roy finished with 33 points for the Blazers.
Combined, the teams attempted 90 free throws.
Both teams had 54 wins last season, but the Nuggets edged the Blazers out of the Northwest Division title.