Plots » chose to make the leap Monday night. S

DENVER -- The Trail Blazers took Denvers best shot -- and the Nuggets took way too many errant shots thanks to Portlands stifling defence. Damian Lillard made up for the absence of fellow All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge by scoring 31 points in the Trail Blazers 100-95 win over the Nuggets on Tuesday night, including a pair of free throws and a layup in the closing minutes to help hold off Denvers fourth-quarter rally. "It was a difficult game," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "We did a lot of good things, made some big plays defensively to win it at the end. The offence kind of shut down in the fourth quarter but our defence stayed solid, and to get a win like this in Denver is something we needed to do." The Nuggets trimmed an 18-point deficit to two but couldnt catch the Blazers. Denver made just 37 of 103 shots, including 27 of 64 in the paint, and couldnt even find the rim at the line, missing 9 of 26 free throws. Lillard scored 12 points in the third quarter when it looked as if to the Blazers were headed for a blowout win, but he saved his biggest shots for late in the fourth. Lillards clutch shooting helped Portland overcome a terrific performance by Denvers J.J. Hickson, who pulled down a career-high 25 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive side. Hickson led the Nuggets to a 64-41 advantage on the glass, appearing as a reserve power forward after starting 52 games at centre this season. "Twenty-five boards is exciting, but the win would have been more exciting," Hickson said. The Blazers again went with a smaller lineup with Aldridge missing his fourth straight game with a strained left groin, and Dorell Wright helped make up for Aldridges team-high 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds by giving Denver another long-range shooter to defend. As Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said before tip-off when talking about Aldridges absence, "Theres a big sigh of relief that you dont have to deal with that, but at the same time it just creates a different type of problem: Theyre one of the best -- if not the best -- 3-point shooting teams in the league. Theyre the best free-throw shooting team in the league. Theyre the highest-scoring team in the league." Six Blazers scored in double figures, including Nicolas Batums 16 points. Aldridge averaged 34.5 points in the Blazers two earlier games against Denver this season and the Trail Blazers missed him in the fourth quarter when it was tougher to close this one out than they had expected when they surged to a 79-61 lead in the third. Randy Foye led Denver with 17 points. Denver again was without Ty Lawson, who leads the Nuggets with averages of 18 points and 8.8 assists. Hes missed seven straight games with a broken rib. Shaw also made a big change with his big man, starting 7-foot-1 Timofey Mozgov at centre in place of Hickson, a natural power forward pressed into duty at centre after JaVale McGee fractured his left tibia five games into the season. Hickson filled in admirably, averaging 11.4 points and 9.2 boards, but he shot just 52 per cent from the free-throw line, and Shaw said that "affected his confidence rolling to the basket aggressively and running the floor because maybe he doesnt want to get fouled." Mozgov, who was averaging 8.6 points and 5.8 rebounds, finished with 14 points and six boards. Hickson scored 16 points. Hickson said he was much more comfortable going back to power forward. "It just felt good to play my natural position," he said. He didnt seem bothered coming off the bench, either. "I dont know how many minutes I played, but I definitely played starters minutes tonight," said Hickson, who played just under 30 minutes. "So, coming off the bench or starting, people always tell me its not who starts, its who finishes and tonight, coach made the call to let me finish and that shows he has a lot of confidence in me still." Evan Fourniers pair of free throws with just over four minutes remaining capped a 15-2 run that pulled Denver to 86-84. Lillard ended the drought with a pair of free throws. After back-to-back buckets by Denvers Kenneth Faried, Lillard hit a finger-roll layup for a 92-88 lead, and the Nuggets never got any closer. "When youre in a situation like that, youve just got to find a way to get it done," Lillard said. NOTES: Blazers F Thomas Robinson played just 14 minutes and had a wrap on his left knee after the game. Stotts said he had no information on the injury. Ryan McDonagh Jersey . "All he says is, its crazy," DeMar DeRozan told reporters following Torontos win over the Pistons Wednesday. The Raptors longest-serving members, Johnson and DeRozan have had two coaches and 56 different teammates in five seasons with the club, all without appearing in a single playoff game. Martin St. Louis Jersey .com) - The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to get back on track Monday night when they welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to Chesapeake Energy Arena. http://www.hockeylightning.com/authentic-nikita-kucherov-lightning-jersey/ . The D-Backs came into being in 1998 and appear destined to finish second in the AL West after the Tsunami that is the Los Angeles Dodgers swept over them. I thought it might be interesting to see what the D-backs have done over their 16 years compared to what the Blue Jays have done over their past 16 campaigns. Vincent Lecavalier Jersey . Williams withdrawal came less than 24 hours after losing in the final Auckland WTA tournament final. "I dont believe she has an injury," Hobart tournament director Mark Handley said. Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys . -- Adrian Peterson remained in a walking boot to treat a high ankle sprain on his left leg on Wednesday, and coach Leslie Frazier said he will not play on Sunday against Atlanta if he cant hit the practice field in the next two days.ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III are skipping their last two seasons at Michigan to enter the NBA draft and chase a dream theyve had since they were kids. Stauskas, who is from Mississauga, Ontario, set his sights on joining in the worlds best basketball league when he started playing the game in an organized way at the age of 7. "From that point on, I pretty much committed myself to doing whatever it took to get to this point," he said. "I dont think many Canadian kids had that same dream. I think most of them were trying to go to the NHL, but I think the rise of Canadian basketball has been unbelievable. You see a lot of kids now making that jump from Canada and Im glad to be a part of that group." Robinson, meanwhile, might have looked at the league a little earlier because his father -- nicknamed "Big Dog" -- was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft. "My dad has been through this whole process, so that was definitely a big help," he said. "He stayed an extra year in college when he thought he wasnt ready." Robinson, who is from St. John, Ind., said the NBAs undergraduate advisory committee informed him he would be a first-round pick if he entered the draft and he chose to make the leap Monday night. Stauskas wouldnt say what he was told, but he obviously liked the feedback. "I heard from the advisory board in the middle of last week, a couple days after that I really decided," he said. "The information I got from them was kind of what I wanted to hear." Mitch McGary has not announced his future plans. "Mitch is still gathering information," coach John Beilein said. "He has all the way until the 27th to make a decision, so hes looking at all the possibilities rightt now.dddddddddddd" McGary was not made available for interviews after his teammates had a news conference. He turned down a chance to enter the draft last year as a likely first-round pick and ended up having back surgery last season, putting his standing as an NBA prospect in doubt. The Wolverines lost Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway to the NBA last year as underclassmen, but retooled well enough to win the Big Ten title and advance to an NCAA tournament regional final. Stauskas said hes confident Michigan is strong enough to keep winning next season. "I think were leaving this program in great hands," Stauskas said as he looked toward his former teammates, who gathered to show their support for him and Robinson at their news conference. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard became one of the nations most well-rounded offensive players, averaging 17.5 points and improving defensively and earning Big Ten player of the year honours last season. The 6-6 Robinson came on strong toward the end of the season and finished with a 13.1 point average. The pressure will now be on improving guard Caris LeVert to have another big season for Michigan next season. Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin -- who both had their share of impressive moments as freshmen -- will also have a chance to take on more leadership. The Wolverines also will lose fifth-year senior Jordan Morgan, and Jon Horford is transferring. Early departures have become the norm at Michigan now that the program has become a Big Ten power again. After going without a regular-season conference title since 1986, the Wolverines tied for first in 2012 and went on to reach the NCAA finals. Thanks in part to Stauskas and Robinson, Michigan won a school-record 59 games over the last two seasons and lost just 17 times. ' ' '