DENVER — Wilson Chandler admitted feeling a bit winded and tired in his second game back from hip problems that had sidelined him for two months. Not enough to bother his shooting touch, though.
Chandler hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 14.9 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-111 Tuesday night for their season-best sixth consecutive victory.
“The way the game was going for me, I was a little fatigued," said Chandler, who had a labral tear in his left hip repaired last spring and then had to take time off in early November when pain resurfaced in the surgically-repaired hip.
“I had a little muscle fatigue, so I was kind of struggling throughout the game. So to come in and hit a shot like that is big," Chandler said.
Danilo Gallinari added 25 points, including a key 3-pointer in the extra period. Ty Lawson had 24 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets, who are 2-0 in overtime this season.
“I was trying to attack, and when I attack, it brings assists because people have to double me or come over and help," Lawson said. “We played well in the second half. Got steals, deflections in the second half that led to easy baskets. In overtime, we just hit big shots."
Portland, which lost for the first time in six OT games this season, was led by LaMarcus Aldridge’s 28 points. Nicolas Batum had 22 points, J.J. Hickson 19 and Damian Lillard 16.
“It was a tremendous game," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “I think for the most part, both teams played pretty well. Third quarter turnovers hurt us, their transition hurt us. We got better as the game went on but that hurt us early."
Gallinari hit his third 3 of the game for an overtime lead, but Aldridge responded with a turnaround jumper that tied it 109-all with 51.8 seconds left. Lawson then lobbed a pass to JaVale McGee for an alley-oop dunk.
The game was tied again when Aldridge hit both free throws after being fouled by McGee, setting the stage for the decisive shot by Chandler. Chandler got open in the corner and Andre Iguodala got the ball to him. Chandler caught it, immediately put up the shot and it swished through.
“They were going to have to leave someone open," Lawson said. “Iggy got it going, getting to the basket, so they had to leave someone open and Wilson hit a big shot."
Lillard just missed a 3-point try with 3.2 seconds left and Lawson made one of two free throws for the final score.
“That wasn’t what we were looking for," Lillard said. “But we moved the ball around a little bit, and there were just a few seconds left, so we had to get a shot up. That was the look I had. It felt good actually. I knew I was going to have to shoot it when it came back to me, so I got myself ready to shoot. It came off my hands well. It looked good. It just didn’t fall. We’ve got to live with what happened and get ready for tomorrow."
After Wesley Matthews hit a 5-foot runner to pull the Trail Blazers to 89-86 with 5:13 left, the Nuggets scored six straight points, starting with a pair of free throws by Kenneth Faried, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds, to stretch their lead to 95-86.
Portland came right back, scoring 10 of the next 12 points and pulling to 97-96 on a layup by Aldridge.
Also on Tuesday:
Clippers 117
Rockets 109
HOUSTON — Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 30 points, including 12 straight to start the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers looked just fine without Chris Paul in a win over struggling Houston.
Pacers 103
Bobcats 76
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Roy Hibbert had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Indiana handed Charlotte its 13th straight home loss.
Nets 113
Raptors 106
NEW YORK — Brook Lopez had 22 points and nine rebounds, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams each scored 21 points, and Brooklyn beat Toronto to extend its season-high winning streak to seven games.
Hornets 111
76ers 99
PHILADELPHIA — Greivis Vasquez scored 23 points and Eric Gordon added 19 to help New Orleans beat Philadelphia.
Lakers 104
Bucks 88
LOS ANGELES — Dwight Howard had 31 points and 16 rebounds, Kobe Bryant also scored 31 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat Milwaukee for their second straight win after a six-game skid.
