RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

DENVER (AP) -- Through three quarters, Antonio McDyess had a quiet 10 points and an inexplicable zero rebounds. That's when two teammates shook him out of his daze.

	Denver's James Posey, left, knocks the ball out of Portland forward Detlef Schrempf's hands as he drives to the basket.

McDyess scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and also grabbed four rebounds in the period, and the Denver Nuggets posted their third straight victory with a 97-88 decision over Portland on Monday night.

"Mentally, I wasn't in the game the first three quarters," McDyess admitted. "Nick (Van Exel) and Ron (Mercer) told me to step up. I had to get focused. They told me to go out and post up, and I did. I scored a couple, and then I really got going both offensively and defensively."

Nuggets coach Dan Issel said McDyess "was terrific in the fourth quarter. He also made some plays that won't show up in the box score, like tipping the ball to a teammate and breaking up outlet passes."

Mercer had 22 points, Raef LaFrentz 16 and Van Exel 12 points and 13 assists for the Nuggets, who completed a successful homestand by beating three of the best teams in the Western Conference -- Sacramento, San Antonio and Portland.

The Nuggets, who went 14-36, 11-71 and 21-61 the last three seasons, climbed two games over .500 (13-11) for the first time in nearly five years -- since Jan. 14, 1995, when they were 18-16.

"Last year we weren't playing for anything," McDyess said. "Now we're playing like one of the best teams in the NBA. I knew we could make some things happen this year -- just not this quick. It feels like we can do just about anything."

Damon Stoudamire led Portland with 19 points. Rasheed Wallace had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Van Exel's 3-point basket capped an 11-0 Denver run in the third quarter, producing a 65-60 lead. After Stoudamire's 3-pointer, the Nuggets ran off eight more points in a row, capped by Mercer's slam, and led 73-65 entering the final period.

Brian Grant had four of the Trail Blazers' eight straight points early in the final period as Portland rallied to 75-73, but McDyess hit five baskets in the next five minutes as Denver opened up a 12-point lead.

After Grant's layup with 9:58 left, McDyess, Van Exel and LaFrentz combined for nine points in a row to make it 84-73.

Scottie Pippen hit a 20-foot jumper and a 3-pointer to help the Blazers get within eight points, but McDyess followed with a scoop layup and Bryant Stith made a 3-pointer for a 91-79 lead with 3:39 to go.

"We turned the ball over too many times, 13 times in the second half," Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "The points off those turnovers was a killer for us. We got close but turned the ball over, and they made us pay the price.

"We got ourselves in foul trouble, which threw off our rhythm. Then they got too many buckets in one stretch in the third quarter before we regained our poise. We were hurt by the number of offensive fouls that we committed."

Stoudamire and Detlef Schrempf sparked an 11-0 run midway through the opening period that gave the Blazers an 18-10 lead. But Stith came off the bench to score six points in the final 2:22 of the quarter to help Denver reduce the deficit to 22-21.

Back-to-back layups by Grant and Wallace gave Portland a 37-30 lead with 5:31 left in the second quarter. Thanks to three jumpers by Mercer, the Nuggets got within 46-44 at intermission.

Portland again forged an early lead in the third quarter, but the Nuggets, capitalizing on the Blazers' foul problems, came back again.

Denver shot 49 percent compared to Portland's 40 percent, but was outrebounded 47-37.

Game notes
Prior to the game, the Trail Blazers activated Bonzi Wells off the injured list and placed Gary Grant (knee) on the injured list. Wells did not play, however. ... Denver's George McCloud did not play because of a sprained right ankle. ... The victory snapped the Nuggets' five-game losing streak to Portland. ... Denver didn't post its 13th win until the 41st game last season. ... The loss deprived Dunleavy of his 100th win as Portland's head coach.