Lillard’s 34, Nurkic’s 29 lift Blazers past Nets 127-125

NEW YORK (AP) – Damian Lillard scored 34, Jusuf Nurkic added 29, and the Portland Trail Blazers rallied from a six-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to edge the Brooklyn Nets 127-125 on Friday.
 
Portland trailed 121-115 with 2:20 left after former Trail Blazers’ guard Allen Crabbe floater. The Trail Blazers then scored the next eight points, capped by Shabbaz Nappier three-point play with 55 seconds left. Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie then evened it 123 before Nurkic’s three-point play with 27 seconds left put Portland up for good, 126-123.
 
CJ McCollum chipped in 26 for the Trail Blazers, who found themselves down by 11 in the first quarter in a post-Thanksgiving noon tip.
 
Dinwiddie had 23 for the Nets, who have lost three straight games – the previous two to the defending champions, Golden State Warriors, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
 
Brooklyn had six other players score in double-figures, including Rondae-Hollis Jefferson had 17. Sean Kilpatrick added 14 and Joe Harris scored 14.
 
TIP-INS
 
Trail Blazers: Reserve forward Al-Farouq Aminu remained out again with a sprained right ankle he suffered during a game Nov. 1. He’s missed his last 10 games.
 
Nets: DeMarre Carroll, Tyler Zeller and Trevor Booker each had 10 points for the Nets.
 
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
 
Portland’s noon start at Brooklyn was the first of two on their regular-season schedule. They’ll tip-off again at noon at Boston on Feb. 4 – the second game of a three-game Eastern Conference road trip.
 
SNAP OUT OF IT
 
McCollum made 10 of 19 shots to rebound from Wednesday’s dreadful shooting performance at Philadelphia, in which he went 1 for 14 from the field, scoring five points.
 
UP NEXT
 
Trail Blazers: Continue their five-game road trip at Washington on Saturday.
 
Nets: Visit Memphis on Monday, the first of three games on the road.