The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets 135-110 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on Monday to extend their winning streak to four games.

Both sides had been heavily reliant on a single player on offense since the 2022-23 regular season began – the Nuggets on Nikola Jokic and the Trail Blazers on Damian Lillard. Jokic nearly averaged a triple-double of 24 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists in his first three games while Lillard scored 41 points in both of the past two games.

As a result, both the Nuggets and the Trail Blazers looked like poorly lubricated machines on offense without the above two behind the wheels. The Nuggets on Monday night had a bitter taste of that experience. Jokic played less than 27 minutes at Moda Center as he was dealing with foul trouble most of the time. He got nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets, doing an OK job orchestrating, but failing to provide what his team needed the most: individual attack that could change the opponents' defense.

By contrast, Lillard continued to be a dominant offensive threat. He kept charging the opponents' paint, dropping 19 points in the first half. The Nuggets shot surprisingly well from downtown in the first quarter and then generated good efficiency under the rim in the second quarter, managing to lead 61-53 after the first half.

Jokic's underperformance began to hurt the Nuggets' offense in the third quarter. They went 4-for-10 at the 3-point line, but only delivered five assists, which reflected how much the team struggled to launch its offense.

Moreover, the Nuggets witnessed the craziest 3-point shooting performance so far this season from Anfernee Simons, who drained six triples to score 22 points in this quarter alone. He made the six shots consecutively and in different ways, including catch-and-shoot around teammate's screen, shooting off the dribble using screen and pulling up to fire over the head of the defender.

Simons' explosive scoring performance enabled the Trail Blazers to lead 44-25 in this quarter. It was his first highlight this season as he made the game-winning shot for the team in the 113-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on October 21. But what happened on Monday was simply too exciting for the eyes.

When the Trail Blazers traded C.J. McCollum and allowed Lillard to sit out most of the 2021-22 campaign, some counted the team out in the Western Conference race. The extensions they gave Lillard and Simons during the offseason didn't change the thoughts of those who looked down on the team.

Simons' performance this season has given Rip City supporters confidence that the team is not to be underestimated in the West. With his explosive scoring ability, he has shown the potential to surpass McCollum and make a better backcourt pair with Lillard.

Other games on Monday (away teams come first):

Indiana Pacers 106-120 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers finally claimed their first win after playing four games this season. This victory should have tasted even sweeter because both James Harden and Joel Embiid performed well against the Pacers at Wells Fargo Center. Harden had 29 points, nine rebounds and 11 assists after shooting 5-for-10 from deep. Embiid got 26 points as he went 9-for-9 in free throws and 4-for-5 under the rim.

Of course, it's hard to say how much real value Monday's win had since it was a group of rookies – Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson and Goga Bitadze – instead of experienced big men Embiid had to face in this game.

Boston Celtics 102-120 Chicago Bulls

Perhaps the 39 points came so easy for the Celtics in the first quarter that they forgot they allowed 30 points by the Bulls as well as the ability to exploit their rich offensive resources. As a result, the Celtics shot 16 of their 25 field goals (FGs) from downtown and missed 13 of them in the second quarter, scoring only 15 points.

Meanwhile, the Bulls focused on attacking the paint, where they had an obvious size advantage, outscoring their opponents 35-15 and 35-25 in the second and third quarters. Nikola Vucevic was not shooting effectively (5-for-15 from the field), but he dominated the glass with 23 rebounds, including 10 offensive ones. Vucevic's presence in the paint forced the Celtics to close in, leaving Ayo Dosunmu, Zach LaVine and Javonte Green open outside to shoot 9-for-11 in triples.

DeMar DeRozan made life even harder for the Celtics' defenders by going 9-for-16 in mid-range jumpers. The Bulls secured their second win of the season and gave the opponents their first loss.

Brooklyn Nets 124-134 Memphis Grizzlies

As the franchise that has two epic scorers, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets may not win every game they play, but they never expected to lose in a high-scoring game like the one at FedExForum on Monday. Durant and Irving both had 37 points and shot to kill in the mid-range at 71.4 percent (20-for-28), but they were outscored by Desmond Bane and Ja Morant, who scored 38 points apiece.

When Morant shoots 4-for-6 from downtown, it would be hard for any team to stop him from rattling their paint and dropping 16, 8 and 9 points in the first, second and third quarters, respectively. Unlike him, Bane only began to explode in the second half, where he went 12-for-17 from the field for 32 points. He had the chance for the first 40+ point game in his career if he hadn't missed the 3-pointer from the right wing at 0:20 in the final quarter.

Toronto Raptors 98-90 Miami Heat

Orlando Magic 102-115 New York Knicks

Utah Jazz 108-114 Houston Rockets

San Antonio Spurs 115-106 Minnesota Timberwolves