Bones Hyland, defense lead Nuggets to blowout win over Blazers – The Denver Post

‘Dem Bones is rolling. And so are the Nuggets.

With rookie guard Bones Hyland providing the spark, and the defense bearing its teeth, the Nuggets ran away from Portland Sunday night at Ball Arena for a 124-95 victory. Denver won its fifth straight game and finished off a perfect homestand.

The Nuggets have won 33 of their last 43 home games vs. Portland.

Hyland finished with a career-high 18 points, and shot 4-for-8 from behind the arc. All told, the Nuggets bench poured in 63 points and the Nuggets sank 19 3-pointers (19-for-40, 47.5%)

“He’s playing very well,” star center Nikola Jokic said. “He’s playing with a great pace. He still has things to learn, but he’s making shots and making passes … he brings energy when he’s in there.”

Jokic, muscling up inside and draining shots from outside, almost notched his third consecutive triple-double. He would have had it, too, except that he spent much of the second half watching his teammates dismantle the Blazers. He finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in just 28 minutes.

The Blazers entered the game having scored 100 points or more in 10 consecutive games. The Nuggets put a halt to that.

“We have been defending the three well, but sometimes we get in trouble in the paint,” coach Michael Malone said. “Tonight we took care of the 3-pointers and in the paint.”

The Nuggets improved to 9-1 when they hold the opposition to under 100 points. They have held all eight opponents at home to under 100 points (7-1) to start the season. It is the longest such streak at home since 2005.

Both teams played short-handed. The Blazers were without star guard Damian Lillard, who sat out with lower abdominal pain and is considered day-to-day, according to coach Chauncey Billups.

Denver, already missing Jamal Murry (knee) and Michael Porter Jr. (back), played without guard Will Barton. Barton, a major force behind Denver’s winning streak, felt lower-back discomfort during pregame warmups Sunday and was held out of the game.

It didn’t matter.

The Nuggets hinted a blowout from the beginning, racing out to a 21-6 lead on JaMychal Green’s 3-pointer from the baseline, getting the feed from Jokic. Jokic dished out seven assists in the first quarter.

With 7:30 left in the first half, Hyland, quickly turning into a fan favorite, drained a 3-pointer to put Denver ahead, 48-32. The Blazers whittled Denver’s lead to 58-49 on a 3-pointer by CJ McCollum with 2:27 left.

Then Jokic went to work. He bullied his way inside for two baskets and then drained a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to put Denver up 67-53 at the half.

The Nuggets, 2-3 on the road, travel to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Monday night.

Welcome home. Billups returned home to his native Denver for the first time as an NBA head coach.

“This is very special,” Billups said before the game. “I never, ever thought I’d come back here as a head coach of a team to face the Nuggets. It brings back memories.”

The Denver native grew up in Park Hill and starred at George Washington High School. Billups led the University of Colorado to the NCAA Tournament and he teamed up with Carmelo Anthony to lead the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in 2009.

The Nuggets beat Portland in the first round of the playoffs last year, leading to the firing of head coach Terry Stotts, who was replaced by Billups.

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