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. Cheap Air Max 270 White . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Cheap Nike Air Max Outlet . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. http://www.fakeairmaxukoutlet.com/ . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Cheap Air Max 90 Trainers . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Fake Air Max 97 For Sale . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. BOULDER, Colo. -- Xavier Johnson and Josh Fortune scored 14 points apiece and Colorado beat Louisiana-Monroe 89-70 Thursday night in a regional game of the Legends Classic.Derrick White and George King added 12 points each for Colorado (3-0), which is off to its best start since opening the 2012-13 season with six consecutive wins.It was Colorados 11th consecutive win at the Coors Events Center.Were not where we want to be, White said. We have to improve individually and collectively. Right now, we are 3-0, which was what our goal was to start. We just have to continue to improve.Jordon Harris had 15 points -- all on 3 pointers -- to lead Louisiana-Monroe (1-2). Travis Munnings and Marvin Jean-Pierre each added 12 points for the Warhawks, who have never beaten Colorado in three meetings.Up by 25 points at the half, Colorado maintained its double-digit lead the rest of the way, going in front by 27 points on Johnsons layup with 8:10 left. Louisiana-Monroe closed the gap somewhat in the late going after Colorado began substituting freely.King hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes and helped Colorado break out to a 48-23 halftime lead. The Buffaloes led for all but 46 seconds of the period, when the game was briefly tied.BIG PICTURELouisiana-Monroe: Last time out, in an 80-59 loss to Texas, the Warhawks struggled offensively, particularly in the second half and finished by making just 30 percent of their shots from the field. It was more of the same against Colorado, only the Warhawks shooting woes surfaced from the outset. They converted 25 percent of their shots in the first half before starting to find the range in the second half, winding up converting 41.3 percent of their sshots.ddddddddddddColorado: Balanced scoring and depth has been a strength of Colorado in its 3-0 start. Ten of 12 players scored in the win over the Warhawks, including all five starters. And the Buffaloes did not let up despite their big lead. They kept the offensive pressure on Louisiana-Monroe throughout the game.IN TOUGHLouisiana-Monroe met its match and then some in consecutive losses to Texas and Colorado, and coach Keith Richard anticipated the Warhawks would be in tough against the teams, both members of Power 5 conferences. We lost five seniors, five very good players from last years team, he said. Im not surprised by the final score in both games. These are two good teams. Colorado is really good and theyre extra special here in Boulder.MEMORABLE STARTColorado freshman Bryce Peters, who was suspended for the first two games because of a team rule violation, made his first career basket a memorable one. Midway through the first half, he came up with a steal and then raced down the court for a breakaway dunk. He finished with nine points, including a 3-pointer off a feed from White, who rebounded a missed free throw just before the first-half buzzer.INJURY REPORTColorado junior guard Dominique Collier, who was limited to a few minutes of play Monday night against Seattle, could miss four to six weeks with a broken bone in his foot.UP NEXTLouisiana-Monroe: Travels to Cheney, Washington for a game Monday against Seattle.Colorado: Continues play in the 2016 Legends Classic on Monday when it will play Notre Dame at the Barclays Center in New York. ' ' '