DENVER -- Michael Malone was getting nervous as he watched a comfortable first-half lead in the shrink to dangerous territory in the fourth quarter.

Fortunately, the Nuggets coach had a veteran to lean on and help Denver break through against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jameer Nelson scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, Danilo Gallinari had a team-high 27, and the Nuggets held on to beat the Trail Blazers 132-120 Thursday night.

"It was just a great win especially after coming off the road trip," Gallinari said. "We came out aggressive and we were sharing the ball and playing with a great rhythm."

Gary Harris added 18 in his return to the lineup, and Wilson Chandler had 17 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who snapped a five-game losing streak against Portland. The Trail Blazers won 13 of the previous 14 against Denver but were never in this one.

The Nuggets' only win in that stretch was Nov. 9, 2015, in Denver. The Nuggets held an eight-point lead late in their home opener this year, only to see the Blazers rally and win in overtime.

They tried to rally again, bringing back memories of that Oct. 29 collapse.

"Those bad feelings live in me every shot Damian Lillard hit," Malone said. "With Damian Lillard, the game is never over. The guy can pull up from 35 feet and you think it's going in."

Lillard led the Blazers with 40 points and 10 assists. CJ McCollum scored 23, and Mason Plumlee had 19 points and seven rebounds. Portland (13-15) lost for the fourth time in five games.

"We didn't have much of an impact on the defensive end," Lillard said. "They felt comfortable. They made uncontested shots, and when we picked our energy up and our effort up, they had themselves going."

The Nuggets (10-16) led by as many as 25 in the second quarter, but Portland went on an 8-0 run to cut it to 16. Gallinari hit a baseline jumper just before the buzzer to give Denver a 74-56 lead at halftime. It was the Nuggets' second-highest point total in a first half this season.

"That's the team we have to be," Harris said. "We show flashes of that, so we need to put it together every night. If we play that hard every night and share the ball, I feel like we're going to have fun like tonight."

Denver was 9 of 13 from 3-point range and hit 13 of 14 free throws in the first half to take control. Gallinari was efficient, going 6 of 7 from the field, hitting all six of his free throws and scoring 20 points in just 16 minutes.

"I don't know if they necessarily felt our presence defensively as much as they needed to," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "And it was just too big of a hole. It was a disappointing loss after a couple of well-played games."

Portland hung around in the third and then made a push at the end of the third and into the fourth. Allen Crabbe hit three free throws to get the deficit to 15 heading into the fourth, and then the Trail Blazers pulled within 10 early in the fourth.

The visitors had a chance to get within single digits, but a turnover led to two free throws, and the lead was 110-97.

After an exchange of free throws, Nelson hit a jumper, Lillard traveled and Gallinari hit a step-back 3-pointer to give Denver a 116-100 lead and some breathing room.

Lillard kept it close with 14 points in the fourth quarter, but Denver never trailed.

"We were able to make enough plays on offense -- Jameer's big shots, Gary's big shot in the corner, big three -- to stem the tide," Malone said. "They just ran out of time, thank goodness. That clock was moving very slow."

NOTES: Both coaches talked fondly of broadcaster Craig Sager, who died of cancer Thursday. Denver coach Michael Malone said: "He was a great guy and obviously the entire NBA is going to miss him." Portland coach Terry Stotts said Sager's "legacy will go well beyond just his suits and colorful personality. Just the way he lived his life, the way he battled cancer will long be remembered." There was a moment of silence observed before the game. ... Portland F Al-Farouq Aminu (back) was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game. ... The Nuggets had everyone healthy for the first time all season after G Gary Harris returned from a foot injury. Harris missed the previous 16 games and 20 overall.