Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: Portland steals NBA Cup opener 109–107 with frantic finish

The Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Denver Nuggets 109–107 in a wild NBA Cup group-stage opener, erasing a late deficit and closing on a seven-point burst in the final minute. Jerami Grant’s calm at the stripe—two free throws with 1.4 seconds remaining—proved decisive after a sequence of gutsy defensive plays that flipped momentum at Moda Center.

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets final score and the decisive sequence

Denver led 81–71 entering the fourth and still held a narrow edge inside the last 30 seconds. With Portland trailing 107–105, Grant drew contact and tied the game at the line with 27.7 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, the Blazers scrambled, and Shaedon Sharpe elevated to block an Aaron Gordon jumper, forcing a shot-clock violation. Portland advanced, Grant attacked, and another foul on Gordon sent him back to the stripe at 1.4 seconds. Two makes later, Nikola Jokić’s contested fade at the horn slid off, sealing Portland’s comeback.

It was a finish built on detail: disciplined clock management, quick-hitting sets that leveraged Grant’s first step, and a young wing in Sharpe delivering a high-wire stop without fouling. In one minute, the Blazers turned a veteran contender’s composure against it.

Box score standouts from Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets

• Portland: Deni Avdija paced the scoring with 23, showcasing downhill aggression and timely cuts. Sharpe added 19, capping his night with the game-saving block. Jerami Grant posted 18 and the pressure-packed free throws, while Jrue Holiday orchestrated with 13 assists to go with 11 points, stabilizing a shaky first quarter and organizing late actions for Grant and Avdija.

• Denver: Jamal Murray led with 22, repeatedly punishing switches in the midrange. Jokić stacked another near triple-double—21 points, 14 boards, 9 assists—but Portland’s late doubles nudged the ball to secondary creators. Denver’s bench provided spurts, yet the team’s 24% shooting from deep undercut otherwise solid half-court execution.

What swung Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: threes, tempo, and trust

For three quarters, Denver dictated terms with outlet-fueled transitions and surgical half-court sets through Jokić. Portland countered by shrinking the floor: late traps on the catch, nail help to disrupt Murray’s rhythm, and a willingness to live with tough twos rather than rhythm threes. The numbers told the tale—Denver’s cold perimeter night removed the separation its offense typically enjoys.

Portland also trusted a smaller, switchier closing unit. That trade-off conceded size to Jokić but cut off the Nuggets’ kick-out game and kept Portland’s best decision-makers on the floor. On offense, Jrue Holiday’s tempo control mattered as much as his box score; he toggled between early clock pushes and late-clock, elbows-and-angles sets that freed Grant for strong-hand drives.

NBA Cup context: a statement win for a young Blazers core

Beyond the dramatics, this was the West group-stage opener for both teams. For Portland, banking an early Cup win against a heavyweight carries tiebreaker weight and psychological value. The Blazers have now stacked three straight victories, but this one was different from the free-flowing wins earlier in the week; it was a trench game that demanded patience when shots weren’t falling and poise when the pace got choppy.

For Denver, it’s a reminder that even elite outfits get vulnerable when spacing vanishes. The Nuggets created the right kinds of looks for long stretches; the finishing wobbled, and late-game possessions tilted toward isolation under pressure. Expect an emphasis on relocation threes and second-side actions to restore balance in the next outing.

Tactical snapshot: how Portland defended the last two minutes

• Early help, late show: Front the post entry to Jokić, then bring delayed help on the gather to avoid easy reads.

• Top-lock on Murray: Force him off DHO angles, sending him to counters rather than his preferred pull-up pockets.

• One hard stunt, one tag: On corner lifts, Portland sent a single violent stunt to the ball, with the low man tagging and recovering—reducing easy corner rhythm shots.

• Live with floaters: Better a contested floater than a spray-out triple to a 40% shooter.

What’s next after Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets

Portland rides the surge into a marquee home date on Monday, where the staff will want cleaner first quarters and earlier three-point rhythm. Denver heads back to the film room with a simple rubric: keep the ball popping late, hunt mismatches without stalling, and rediscover volume from deep to open driving lanes.

In a tournament setting where point differential and head-to-heads matter, the Blazers did more than win—they showcased a closing blueprint. When games tighten in November and again in spring, the tape from this finish will travel.