Nuggets find themselves in first place in West, face Blazers

The Denver Nuggets survived a tough early schedule, injuries and COVID-19 cases to sit atop the Western Conference 30 games into the season.

One of their signature road wins came at Portland on Dec. 8 when Jamal Murray hit a 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left for an unexpected victory. His performance announced that Murray had turned a corner in his progress from a year off.

The Trail Blazers will get a chance for payback