A day made all the difference for the Nuggets.

Denver shook off a frustrating loss Thursday with a dominant performance Friday. Here are five takeaways from the Nuggets’ 157-103 win over the Trail Blazers at Moda Center:

1. Denver’s All-Stars made amends for Thursday’s performance. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were the primary reasons for the loss to the Clippers, but they carried the Nuggets a night later. Jokic set the tone with an aggressive first quarter, scoring 19 of his 32 points. Murray took over in the second, hitting four of his 3s and dropping 15 of his 25 points. Jokic (nine rebounds, seven assists, four steals) and Murray (six rebounds, six assists) contributed in other ways, but the efficient scoring across the board paved the way for a welcome blowout.

2. The Nuggets showed they still have their offensive fastball. Beyond the stars, Tim Hardaway Jr. got back to his game, knocking down 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Cam Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, as did Christian Braun with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. If hustle plays showed up in the box score, Spencer Jones would’ve flirted with a triple-double but settled for 10 points and 10 rebounds. When the stars get that kind of support, Denver’s a championship contender.

3. Portland’s best chance to make the game competitive was a big night from its All-Star, Deni Avdija. The forward almost recorded a triple-double but did so well under his scoring average. He entered the night scoring 25.2 points per game on the back of 9.4 free-throw attempts per game. The Nuggets held him to 15 points, five of which came on seven attempts at the line. He missed all four of his 3s and turned the ball over six times.  

4. Sometimes it matters how you win. The Nuggets didn’t just come out of the All-Star break with a back-to-back set; they came back to what’s effectively three games in 3.5 days. The 40-point lead to start the fourth quarter was enough to ease the workload on most of Denver’s rotation players. None of Denver’s starters played more than 30 minutes. That should help when the Nuggets and Warriors tip off Sunday afternoon.

5. Times are tough for the Trail Blazers on and off the court, but hopefully there are brighter days ahead for Portland, at least figuratively. Interim coach Tiago Splitter has done well to keep a limited roster in the play-in picture, though the franchise would be better served by ending up in the lottery again. Off the court, there have been rumblings that a new ownership group might be interested in relocating once the sale is finalized. With Seattle likely rejoining the NBA in the next decade, it would be a shame to lose the other basketball stronghold in the Pacific Northwest.

NUGGETS 157, TRAIL BLAZERS 103

What happened: Denver led by 14 after the first quarter and owned an 82-53 advantage at halftime. The Nuggets extended the lead to 40 to start the fourth quarter and improved to 36-21 with ease.

What went right: KJ Simpson got to make his Nuggets debut in the middle of the fourth quarter. The former Colorado Buffalo scored his first points and dished out four assists in seven minutes of playing time.

What went wrong: The Nuggets only scored 32 points in the fourth quarter, which prevented them from scoring 40 or more points in all four quarters.

Highlight of the night: Cam Johnson threw down a dunk over Deni Avdija early. Avdija was outnumbered in transition and tried to slide over after Christian Braun passed to Johnson, but Portland’s wing was too late to stop Johnson from throwing down a one-handed slam.

Up next: Denver’s tour of the West Coast continues with Sunday’s matinee at Golden State.