Denver looked like champions today, beating Portland 96-82. "That's the best we've seen them for a while," said an overwhelmed Portland coach Bob. "None of the tapes we had of them showed the fluid execution that we saw out there today, and frankly we just weren't prepared as well as they were. I take full responsibility for that; with better preparation we could have won. Instead they just took over the game and never let us back in."

Denver was led by Simmons (24 points, 15 boards, 1 assists), Stanford (10 points, 9 boards, 2 assists, a block), Hayes (6 points, 4 assists, 2 blocks). Portland was led by Animashaun (16 points, 1 assists, 2 steals, a block), King (5 points, 5 boards, 8 assists, a steal, a block), Thompson (11 points, a steal).

With this win, Denver stand at 45-17. They remain at #1 in the Northwest and remain at #2 overall in the Western Conference. Portland keep stumbling with a losing streak of 5 games and fall to 32-29 and 23-10 at home. They hold at #2 in the Northwest and remain at #6 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Denver roster Portland roster