Kenneth Faried is doing his best to show that he deserves a starting role. His effort wasn’t enough to stop the Trail Blazers’ backcourt, though, as the Nuggets dropped their fourth game in a row with a loss in Portland Sunday night.
Faried dominated the early part of the game, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the first quarter to help Denver jump out to a 28-20 lead. The Nuggets would go on to lead by as many as 17 before opening the door for a Trail Blazers comeback led by their dynamic backcourt.
Damian Lillard scored a game-high 32 points and Portland outscored Denver 36-15 in the third quarter to take control of the game. C.J. McCollum had 21 points of his own, including key buckets in the fourth to keep the game out of reach.
Denver falls to 3-7 on the season with the loss. They have a few days to regroup before hosting Phoenix on Wednesday to start a four-game homestand.
