PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Early foul trouble in the season opener wasn't going to get Nikola Jokic down.
He had 20 points and 13 rebounds despite sitting much of the first half, and the Denver Nuggets spoiled the first game of Portland's 50th season with a 108-100 victory over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
Will Barton added 19 points for the Nuggets, who also snapped Portland's 18-game winning streak in home openers, the longest streak in league history. Denver made 18 3-pointers.
"I didn't want to force it. I just wanted to win the game," said Jokic, who had 16 points in the fourth quarter alone. "I wanted to go out there to be the positive energy to win the game."
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 32 points and eight assists, and Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 19 rebounds in his Portland debut.
Whiteside, acquired in an offseason trade with Miami, tipped in Lillard's 3-point attempt to help the Blazers to an 88-87 lead with just under five minutes left. But the Nuggets answered with consecutive baskets from Jokic and Gary Harris.
Jokic hit back-to-back 3-pointers to extend Denver's lead to 97-90. Lillard landed a 3-pointer with 1:58 left to narrow the gap but the Blazers couldn't catch up.
"Nikola in the fourth quarter was phenomenal," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "I think he had 16 and 8 in the quarter. He showed everybody why he's an MVP-caliber player."
It was the first meeting between the teams since the Western Conference semifinals, won by the Blazers in seven games.
"When the game was being decided, we just had too many lapses on both ends of the floor," Lillard said. "We put ourselves in a position where it was going to be hard to come back from them."
The Nuggets didn't make a lot of changes over the summer, returning the nucleus of the team that won 54 games last season and earned the West's second seed, ending a six-year postseason drought. The team's biggest move was acquiring Jerami Grant from Oklahoma City.
Portland, meanwhile, has six new faces on the roster, including Whiteside, who started at center. The Blazers also picked up veteran big man Pau Gasol as they await Jusuf Nurkic's return from a broken leg.
The Blazers finished 53-29 last season and clinched the West's third seed, playing through to the conference finals for the first time in 19 years.
Jokic collected three early fouls and went to the bench with 8:15 left in the first quarter, and the Nuggets struggled.
"In the beginning of the game it brought out a lot of memories from last year's series," Jamal Murray said. "We just wanted to come out and have a good game and come out with a win."
Rodney Hood hit a 3-pointer and made a free throw to give Portland a 19-7 lead. Lillard's first points of the game came on a dunk that made it 21-16.
The Blazers closed to 70-69 on Lillard's 3-pointer late in the third quarter and then tied it on Anfernee Simons' free throw. But they didn't regain the lead until Simons' driving layup made it 74-73 and capped a 16-6 run going in to the final period.
CJ McCollum's 3-pointer pushed the lead to 79-73 and Portland held on until Murray's 3 made it 83-all. Jokic's jumper gave Denver back the lead before Whiteside's tip.
"They had won 18 straight openers here so to come in here and win on the road against a division rival to start the year off I couldn't ask for a better start," Malone said.
TIP INS
Nuggets: Former Oregon center Bol Bol, the son of Manute Bol, warmed up with the Nuggets but was not available to play. A second-round pick, he signed to a two-way contract with the team. ... The 18 3-pointers were the team's most for an opener. ... Michael Porter Jr., the No. 14 draft pick in 2018 who sat out last season as he recovered from back surgery, did not play for the Nuggets.
Trail Blazers: Gasol, who is still rehabbing from foot surgery, did not play. ... Lillard addressed the crowd before the game: "Rip City! Rip City! We would like to welcome you to our 50th season, and hopefully our best." ... The previous record for longest winning streak in home openers was 14, held by Boston from 1979-92.
WHITESIDE'S DEBUT: Whiteside gave his debut mixed reviews, lamenting Jokic's late 3-pointers. "We need to get the 3-point defense down," he said. "They made some tough shots, but we can definitely get better at defending the 3."
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Host the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
Trail Blazers: Kick off a four-game road trip against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
NBA WEDNESDAY
The Philadelphia 76ers have opened their NBA schedule by knocking off one of their top Atlantic Division rivals.
Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons carried the Sixers to a 107-93 win against the visiting Boston Celtics. Embiid finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Simmons paced Philadelphia with 24 points. Furkan Korkmaz and Tobias Harris buried consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to give the 76ers a 10-point lead after they missed 21 of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc over the first three quarters. Gordon Hayward led the Celtics with 25 points and Jayson Tatum had 21, but Kemba Walker scored just 12 on 4 of 18 shooting in his Boston debut.
The Nets wasted Kyrie Irving’s 50-point performance in a 127-126 loss to the visiting Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns had 36 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota, and Andrew Wiggins finished with 21 points. Irving lost his balance and missed a potential winning shot in his first game since signing with Brooklyn over the summer.
Luke Kennard made three 3-pointers in the final six minutes to help the Pistons pull away for a season-opening, 119-110 victory over the Pacers. Kennard finished with a career-high 30 points and matched his personal best with six 3s. Andre Drummond matched his career best with 32 points and had 23 rebounds for Detroit.
The Spurs opened their schedule with a 120-111 victory against the Knicks as LaMarcus Aldridge dropped in 22 points and Bryn Forbes chipped in with 20. Dejounte Murray was productive in his first game since tearing his right ACL in a preseason game Oct. 7, contributing 18 points, eight boards and six assists. RJ Barrett had a solid NBA debut for New York, scoring 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting with five rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes.
Donovan Mitchell’s 32 points and 12 boards carried the Jazz past the Thunder, 100-95. Mitchell scored 22 after halftime and made several key baskets down the stretch. Bojan Bogdanovic added 16 points and Royce O'Neale chipped in with 14, but Mike Conley shot 1-for-16 in his Utah debut.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 23 points in his first game as a Maverick to spark a 108-100 triumph over the Wizards. Porzingis took a seat after missing his first four shots, but he came back to score nine points over the final 2:45 of the first quarter. Luka Doncic (DAHN’-chihch) provided 34 points on 12 of 19 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.
Orlando won its season opener as Nikola Vucevic provided 21 points and nine rebounds in a 94-85 victory against the Cavaliers. Evan Fournier scored 16 points for the Magic, and Markelle Fultz had 12 with six assists in his first game since being acquired by Orlando from the 76ers in February. Kevin Love had 11 points and 18 rebounds for Cleveland, which trailed by as many as 20.
Rookie PJ Washington nailed seven of the Hornets’ 23 3-pointers in a 126-125 comeback win against the Bulls. Devonte Graham was a difference-maker off the bench with 23 points on 6-of-7 from downtown to go with eight assists. Marvin Williams hit five treys and scored 17 points while helping Charlotte set a team record for 3-pointers in a regulation game.
Devin Booker’s 22 points and 10 assists were among the Suns’ highlights in a 124-95 pounding of the Kings. Ricky Rubio was among six Phoenix players to score in double-figures, finishing with 11 with 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals in his first game since inking a three-year, $51 million contract. Deandre Ayton added 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 9 of 14 from the field.
Justise Winslow scored 27 points and rookie Kendrick Nunn scored 24 in his NBA debut as the Heat whipped the Grizzlies, 120-101. Winslow also delivered seven rebounds and seven assists for Miami, which trailed 90-86 early in the final period before going on a 24-1 spurt. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 17 points and Tyus Jones added 15.