But the real Roy emerged in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, scoring 12 of his 19 points to help the Trail Blazers to a 101-92 win against the Nuggets at the Rose Garden.

In the Nuggets' 97-89 win Monday against the Trail Blazers, Roy shot only 3-of-11 for eight points. In the first three quarters Tuesday, he shot only 3-of-9 for seven points.

But with the Nuggets holding a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Roy came alive when needed.

His three-pointer with 6:22 remaining gave the Trail Blazers the lead for good at 82-80, and he followed that 29 seconds later with two free throws for an 84-80 advantage.

"He had a great fourth quarter," said Nuggets coach George Karl of Portland outscoring Denver 34-26. "The fourth quarter is why they won the game. . . . (Roy) went quicker and away from the pick-and-rolls."

The Nuggets had been sending two defenders at Roy during the two nights. Roy said that was the main reason for his struggles, but the third-year player said he must learn to adjust to such defenses to take the next step.

One player who didn't mind the Nuggets paying so much attention to Roy was Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored a game-most 22 points.

"They focused on Brandon so much, they forgot about me," he said. "So it came easy."

It wasn't that easy. The Trail Blazers trailed by as many as seven points in the first quarter and 75-72 early in the fourth quarter.

But with Aldridge helping out Roy with six fourth-quarter points, the Trail Blazers moved into a tie for first place with the Nuggets in the Northwest Division at 18-11.

"I feel good about where we're at," Karl said. "My best Christmas present is our record. Maybe (the Nov. 3 acquisition of point guard Chauncey Billups is), but the record is pretty good, too. If Santa would have told me in June I'd be 18-11 with the schedule we had, I would have said, 'Thank you, Santa.' "

The Nuggets played their second straight game without forward Carmelo Anthony, who is expected to miss one more game because of a right elbow contusion. With Anthony out, the Nuggets had a hard time finding offense.

Karl said the "only guy we really had hot" was reserve forward Linas Kleiza. Now fully out of an early-season shooting slump, Kleiza scored a team-high 20 points, making 5-of-7 three-pointers.

"I've always been a slow starter, but I'm right where I want to be," said Kleiza, who has shot 14-of-22 on three-pointers during the past six games. "There's still a lot of games left. My role got a lot bigger with Melo out."

The Nuggets got 17 points and 13 rebounds from center Nene, but he had only two field-goal attempts in the second half and finished 5-of-6.

Nene got kneed in the thigh by Roy with 3:44 left in the third quarter and took a seat for the rest of the quarter before returning in the fourth.

"I'm fine," he said.

Billups also scored 17 points, but he shot only 4-of-12 and handed out only three assists.

"I'm a little disappointed we didn't get this win," Billups said. "But it was right there for us. We just couldn't take it."

A frustrated Billups picked up a technical with 7.9 seconds remaining and the game out of reach. Nuggets forward Chris Andersen got the Nuggets' other technical for taunting Portland reserve center Joel Przybilla with 6:49 left in the game.

Przybilla, though, had the final chuckle.

With starter Greg Oden a nonentity, Przybilla pulled down 19 rebounds. Oden played only eight minutes, going scoreless and picking up five fouls.

"We just came out hard (Tuesday) and wanted it more than them," Przybilla said.

Karl didn't share that view. He said the Nuggets were going on "guts and courage" while playing "short-handed and banged up."

Nevertheless, there was one guy who really wanted it at the end. That would be Roy.

INFOBOX

BLOCK PARTY

Nuggets reserve big man Chris Andersen ranks third in the NBA in blocked shots, but that's just a start. He has an overwhelming NBA lead in blocks per minute.

Andersen is averaging 2.3 blocks, putting him behind Orlando's Dwight Howard (3.65) and the Clippers' Marcus Camby (2.83). But Andersen is averaging 6.36 blocks per 48 minutes, well ahead of second-place Howard's 4.84.

"I've always been a real good shot blocker," said Andersen, thanking coach George Karl for having the "confidence" in him to "roam on defense a little bit."

Added Karl: "Of all the good stuff that has happened (to the Nuggets), I would put him No. 1 because of the hole that happened when Marcus and Eddie (Najera) weren't there. It was pretty scary."

DEFENSIVE MARTIN

Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin never has been named to an NBA All-Defensive team. Karl believes that could change.

"I think he's regrouping and regaining it," Karl said of Martin getting back his defensive reputation after some injury-plagued years. "If statistically we would end the season where we are now defensively, I would think he would have to get some recognition as an All-Defensive player."

Karl lauded Martin's play Monday against Portland, saying he was a "quarterback" the way he took defensive responsibility on players looking to go one-on-one.

HE SAID IT

"If I have been soft in the past, it probably would be around Christmas."

Karl, who regularly gives his teams days off around the holiday and will give the Nuggets today and Thursday off.

Chris Tomasson