Blazers Win 10th Straight

[December 22, 2007]  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Martell Webster scored 19 points while Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge each added 18 to help the Portland Trail Blazers extend their winning streak to 10 games with a 99-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

Portland, which has the longest current winning streak in the NBA, has not won as many consecutive games since the Blazers were victorious in 12 straight in the 2001-02 season.

Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony each had 34 points for the Nuggets. Anthony added 12 rebounds.

Portland started the streak with a win Dec. 3 at Memphis, after going 5-12 to start the season. Seven of the 10 wins have come at home, where the Blazers are 12-3.

With the game tied at 94, James Jones made the second of two free throws with 36.2 seconds left.

After Roy blocked Anthony's try, Travis Outlaw made a pair of free throws to give the Blazers a 97-94 lead. Iverson's driving layup with 6.9 seconds left narrowed the deficit to one.

Jarrett Jack made a pair of free throws to extend the lead back to three before Linas Kleiza's 3-pointer was blocked by Outlaw for the final margin.

Denver was playing the second game of a back-to-back. The Nuggets beat Houston in double overtime on a last-second jumper by Anthony Carter.

The Nuggets were without starting forward Kenyon Martin. He left in the second half against the Rockets with a leg injury and did not return. Denver started Jelani McCoy in his place. McCoy, signed on Friday, played in five games with the Nuggets this season before he was waived Wednesday.

Denver center Marcus Camby did not dress because of a mid-back bruise he suffered against Houston.

Jack's long 3-pointer put the Blazers up 30-22 at the close of the first quarter.

Aldridge gave Portland its biggest lead on a tip shot that made it 40-31. But the Nuggets kept up and Iverson, who had played 51 minutes the night before, evened it a 50 with a fade-away jumper.

His 10-foot jumper with 2.8 seconds left in the half gave the Nuggets a 52-50 lead. Iverson had 21 first-half points.

The Nuggets extended the lead in the third quarter when Kleiza's 3-pointer made it 60-53.

Denver led by as many as eight points, but the Blazers came back with a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Steve Blake's 3-pointer narrowed it to 76-74, before Outlaw's jumper tied it.

Outlaw eventually gave the Blazers back the lead with a 10-foot jumper that made it 80-78. Jones followed with a 3-pointer and added a 20-foot jumper to put Portland up 85-78.

Notes:@ McCoy averaged three minutes in his five games with the Nuggets before he was waived. ... Roy appeared to be having trouble with his right hand, and at one point a trainer examined it. ... The Blazers defeated the Nuggets 116-105 in Denver on Dec. 16. The Blazers next host the Seattle SuperSonics on Christmas Day.

[Associated Press; By ANNE M. PETERSON]

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