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DENVER -- Gary Harris return was supposed to strengthen Denvers defense. Instead, the Nuggets relied on their offense to finally solve the Portland Trail Blazers.Harris had 18 points in his first game back from a foot injury, Danilo Gallinari scored 20 of his 27 in the first half and the Nuggets led big early before holding on late to beat the Trail Blazers 132-120 Thursday night.Wilson Chandler added 17 points and Jameer Nelson scored 13 of his 15 in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets withstood a late push. It was Denvers second victory in the last 15 games against the Blazers, who got 40 points and 10 assists from Damian Lillard.Thats the team we have to be, Harris said. We show flashes of that, so we need to put it together every night.CJ McCollum scored 23 for Portland, which has lost five of six.We didnt have much of an impact on the defensive end, Lillard said. They felt comfortable. They made uncontested shots and when we picked our energy up and our effort up they had themselves going.Harris missed 16 games after getting hurt Nov. 12 against Detroit. Nuggets coach Michael Malone planned on easing the third-year guard back into action but Harris played 32 minutes, third-most on the team.I didnt know what was going to happen, Harris said. I was glad to get back out there.The Nuggets snapped a three-game skid at Pepsi Center, where they are 4-7 this season. One of those defeats came in their home opener against Portland when they blew a late lead and lost in overtime.Denver never trailed in this one, but the Trail Blazers tried to make it a game in the fourth behind Lillard. Harris was given the tough task of guarding Lillard and helped hold him in check for three quarters.But the All-Star guard scored 14 points in the last 12 minutes as Portland rallied. After trailing by as many as 25 in the first half and 21 in the third quarter, the margin was just 10 in the fourth.Denver responded with an 11-5 run to push the lead to 16, and Portland never got the deficit under 10 again.We were able to make enough plays on offense to stem the tide, Malone said. They just ran out of time, thank goodness. That clock was moving very slow.TIP-INSTrail Blazers: F Al-Farouq Aminu missed his second straight game with a back injury. ... Lillard has scored 30 or more points in three of his last five games.Nuggets: The 132 points were a season high. ... Denver Broncos LB Shaquil Barrett was in attendance. He hit a halfcourt shot during a late timeout to the delight of the sparse crowd. ... After getting Harris back, Denver was at full strength for the first time this season. Alonzo Gee was inactive and Malik Beasley is with Sioux Falls of the D-League.REMEMBERING CRAIG SAGERThere was a moment of silence before the national anthem following the death of Sager, the longtime TNT sideline reporter. Malone and Portland coach Terry Stotts spoke about Sager before the game. Malone said it is a tough loss for the entire NBA family, while Stotts said his legacy will go well beyond just his suits and colorful personality. Just the way he lived his life, the way he battled cancer will long be remembered.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: At the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.Nuggets: Welcome back Carmelo Anthony when the New York Knicks visit Saturday night. .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. BEACHWOOD, Ohio -- Bobby Wyatt took a one-stroke lead over Bryson DeChambeau on Thursday in the rain-delayed DAP Championship, the inaugural tournament that opens the four-event Web.com Tour Finals.Wyatt closed with a birdie for a 7-under 63 at Canterbury Golf Club.Did a lot of things well, and I have a lot of things to build on for tomorrow, Wyatt said. Hit it really well, gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities, not sure I missed too many greens. Anytime you can do that, especially on a course like this where the rough is pretty penal, it gives you a big boost.DeChambeau, the former SMU player who swept the 2015 NCAA and U.S. Amateur titles, birdied the final two holes for a 64.It was a lot of fun out there, DeChambeau said. Hit the ball a lot better than I have been. I still drove it a little poor. Had a couple duck hooks, which is never fun, but got through that, made some pars on those holes and made a lot of putts. I made a huge putt on 17. If it doesnt hit the hole, it goes almost off the green. I was lucky enough to make that and, lo and behold, I birdied 18 as well.D.A. Points and Zack Sucher shot 65, and Stuart Appleby, Ted Potter Jr. and John Mallinger followed at 66. None of the afternoon starters were able to complete the round that was delayed for more than three hours because of rain and suspended for the day at 6:58 p.m. when another storm rolled in.The four-event series features the top 75 players from the Web.comm Tour money list, Nos.dddddddddddd 126-200 in the PGA Tours FedEx Cup standings and non-members such as Wyatt and DeChambeau who earned enough money to have placed in the top 200 had they been eligible.The top 25 players on the Web.com Tour regular-season money list earned PGA Tour cards. They are competing against one another for tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals. The other players are fighting for 25 cards based on series earnings.Wyatt was fourth in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in May, earning $336,000 that week.Unfortunately, I didnt play very well after that, but it was enough to get me into here and to give me this opportunity here to get where I want to be, said Wyatt, the former Alabama player who shot a 57 at age 17 in the 2010 Alabama Boys State Junior Championship.Andrew Beef Johnston had a 68. The Englishman was eighth in the British Open and is 15th on the European Tour money list.Wesley Bryan shot 71. He topped the Web.com regular-season money list and won three times to earn an immediate PGA Tour promotion.Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton, PGA Tour winner Camilo Villegas and Thailands Kiradech Aphibarnrat were among the late starters. Compton was even par through nine holes, Villegas 2 over through 13 and Aphibarnrat 5 over after 10. ' ' '
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