Nets healthier but still ailing
NEW YORK – Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were back in Brooklyn's starting lineup Monday night against Portland, but two other injured starters — guard Deron Williams and center Brook Lopez — remain sidelined.
Garnett shined in a big first period for the Nets before Portland rallied for its seventh consecutive victory, 108-98.
Garnett made his first six shots in a 40-point first period, them went 2-for-13 the rest of the way, finishing with 16 points. Pierce, still slowed by a sore left groin, shot 2-for-12 and scored 11.
Williams and Lopez both sprained their left ankles Friday in a victory at Phoenix. The Nets also are still without reserve forward Andrei Kirilenko because of back spasms.
The Trail Blazers (9-2) moved within a half-game of Indiana and San Antonio for the league's best record.
HIGHLIGHTS
• ROARING THUNDER: Kevin Durant scored 38 points and Russell Westbrook had 30 points and 12 rebounds for the Oklahoma City Thunder, which rallied to beat the Denver Nuggets 115-113. Westbrook also had seven assists, helping Oklahoma City erase a 14-point deficit in the second half. With the score tied at 105, Serge Ibaka pulled down an offensive rebound and found Durant for a three-pointer that put Oklahoma City (7-3) ahead to stay.
• JEFFERSON IN PAIN: Charlotte center Al Jefferson sat out his third consecutive game — an 86-81 loss to the Bulls — because of a bone bruise in his right ankle. Jefferson averaged 15 points and 8.7 rebounds in his first three games as a Bobcat.
