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DENVER -- Nicolas Batum got hot early, Wesley Matthews hit a critical shot when Denver was making a late charge and LaMarcus Aldridge added the finishing touches. Thats simply the way the Portland Trail Blazers plan to roll this season, a different player stepping up when hes called. Aldridge scored nine of his 25 points late in the fourth quarter to help the Blazers hold off Denver 113-98 on Friday night, spoiling the home debut of Nuggets coach Brian Shaw and snapping their 23-game regular-season home winning streak. "Top to bottom, solid win for us," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. Batum was the go-to scorer early, getting all 21 of his points in the first half. Then, Matthews came to the rescue as the Blazers saw a 26-point lead late in the third quarter shrink to 101-94 with 4:57 remaining. Matthews hit a 3-pointer late to give the Blazers some breathing room. And that set the stage for Aldridge, who closed out the victory by hitting jumper after jumper over a steady rotation of Denver defenders. "Its good to have a guy like that who can make those plays and guys can play off of him," said Stotts, whose team got back on track after a season-opening loss in Phoenix. "The way we kept our composure when they made their run is something we should be proud of." That wasnt quiet the case for the Nuggets as they suffered a rare home loss. Although they made a late run, Shaw still called his squads early effort "lacklustre." "Our team looked very tired, just to be honest with you, from the jump," Shaw said. "They just looked winded. They looked like they were the team that played in altitude and we were the team that was coming in on the second night of a back-to-back." Reserve Nate Robinson scored 24 points for Denver, while Ty Lawson added 21. "Came out a little flat in the first half," Robinson said. "We kept the crowd involved by trying to get energy from them." Last season, the Nuggets constantly fed off the crowd noise and were nearly unbeatable at home. The last regular-season loss for Denver was on Jan. 18, against Washington. The team then reeled off 23 straight wins to finish a league-best 38-3 at home. Denver fell at home to Golden State in a first-round playoff game. "We just didnt come out and play," Lawson said. So far, the Nuggets have been slow to grasp the new system of Shaw, who was hired after George Karl was fired following a season in which the team had a franchise-record 57 wins. Shaw said it might take some time for the Nuggets to fully adopt his style, which features more of a half-court offence rather than an up-tempo pace Lawson and the Nuggets grew accustomed to under Karl. "We knew this was going to be a process," Shaw said. "The way were playing I dont think is the problem. Tonight, defence was the problem." Hard to argue. The Nuggets gave up 64 points in the first half and allowed the Blazers to shoot 14 of 22 from beyond the 3-point line. "We didnt play defence and it was just too big of a hole to come back from," Lawson said. Batum scored the Blazers first 10 points of the game. Aldridge got into the act when he hit a jumper midway through the first quarter. The 6-foot-8 Batum stayed hot the rest of the half, scoring 21 points -- including five 3-pointers -- to help the Blazers take a 64-50 lead. "I have to find a balance for creating everybody else and creating my own shot," he said. "Tonight, I tried to score first." The Nuggets have been experimenting at small forward with Wilson Chandler sidelined by a strained left hamstring and Danilo Gallinari out until at least December as he recovers from a torn ACL. Denver has tried Anthony Randolph and even Evan Fournier, whos more of a guard, at the spot. "Just trying to find the right mix," Shaw explained. "I dont think everybody is settled into when exactly theyre going to be coming into the game. It will be that way until we get everybody back in the fold." NOTES: The Blazers open at home on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs. Portland has won its last four home openers. ... Matthews finished with 12 rebounds. ... Portland snapped a nine-game slide against Denver at Pepsi Center. ... Shaw said before the game theres no timetable for Chandlers return. ... Nuggets mascot "Rocky" got the wind knocked out of him while performing a pregame stunt. ... Nuggets F Kenneth Faried had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Allen Jersey . Russell Wilson against Darrelle Revis, former teammate Brandon Browner and whatever schemes Bill Belichick dreams up. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys .com) - The San Francisco Giants delivered plenty of big hits to tie the World Series. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Eli ... ls-Jersey/. Crawford hit his slam off Pirates starter Edinson Volquez to give San Francisco a four run lead in the fourth and they never looked back. Brandon Belt had three runs batted in as well. Bumgarner pitched all nine innings and allowed just four hits. Buffalo Bills Jerseys . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Tremaine Edmunds Jersey . The Argentina striker has not played for the Premier League leaders since September when he refused to warm up during a Champions League match and only returned last week from a three-month unauthorized absence at home. City coach Roberto Mancini had initially told Tevez he would never play for City again after his act of public insubordination, but later softened his stance and only asked for an apology.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Kerry, How does Alex Galchenyuk get called for tripping Carl Hagelin in the neutral zone in the second period? Where was the official watching this from? Looked like Hagelin took a dive over Galchenyuks foot! Martin,Peterborough, ON Martin: Carl Hagelin did not deliberately take a dive or embellish his fall in an attempt to draw a penalty as he picked up a loose puck on a turnover at the red line. Hagelin made a sweeping cut turn as he attempted to reverse his direction toward the Montreal zone and in doing so both of his skates made independent contact with the left skate blade of Alex Galchenyuk. Hagelins lose of balance, forward momentum and attempt to advance the puck as he was falling contributed to an impression some might hold that the Rangers player took a dive. In the eyes of one referee it was deemed a trip and resulted in a power play goal. Referee Dan OHalloran trailed the play out of the Montreal end zone on the players bench side after Andrei Markov flipped the puck into the neutral zone. When the skate contact between Hagelin and Galchenyuk occurred, OHalloran was approximately mid to three quarters toward the Habs blue line and looking directly into and through neutral zone player traffic. From this location the referee would not have been able to draw an angle on the play and erroneously determined that Galchenyuk had committed a tripping infraction. Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20 and you can be certain that the referee wishes he had not perceived the play as he did. This play demonstrates the magnitude and potential consequence that a penalty call can have on a game and possibly even a series. Hockey is an extremely fast paced game. We know that officials, players and coaches make mistakes. In an effort to minimize errors in judgment the official needs to find the very best location in advance to judge a play; to find that perfect "replay angle" in real time whenever humanly possible.dddddddddddd I have often referenced an officials positioning in answer to your questions. One aspect of officiating that I havent written about much (and probably more important than having your feet in the right place) is for the official to have his head in the right place to avoid overreacting or being fooled on a play. It is crucial that every official sustain a rock-solid level of concentration throughout the game; especially as he deals with self-imposed pressure and excessive amounts of pressure exerted upon him externally. We often hear broadcasters refer to a high level of "energy or intensity" that is displayed by a player or team. A referee observes the game as it is being played in the moment; but more importantly, he must "think" the game with an "intensity of focus and concentration" that doesnt allow for any distractions to adversely affect his judgment. The referees perception of a play becomes his reality. He must silence the crowd in his head by letting the noise pass through his ears as a meaningless background effect. The ref must also move on from confrontations with players and coaches to keep his mental awareness where it belongs. To accomplish this task, an internal running dialogue or play-by-play commentary can be implemented by the referee to remain focused. (I often implemented this procedure to intensify my focus and concentration.) An official that sustains a state of intense concentration is much less likely to overreact or misread a play. A referee that is dialed into the zone can better differentiate between legitimate fouls and allowable contact in all locations on the ice. Finally, there cant be any guess work at this time of the season. If a ref is not 100 per cent sure a foul was committed, he should never raise his arm. China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Wholesale NFL Gear Cheap Jerseys Online Disocunt Football Jerseys Cheap NFL Black Jerseys ' ' '