Is it tough to face a team twice in one week?

"It could be, but I don't think for us it will be," Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said. "We focus on trying to win every game and try to have a winning month. You can't take any team lightly."

Aldridge said he was impressed with the grit of the Rockets, who are without Yao Ming, Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady from last year's outfit.

"They're a hard-working team," Aldridge said. "They play good defense. You have to out-scrap them to win. We know we're not going to be guaranteed a win. We'll go down there, play hard and do what we did here to get a win."

Coach Nate McMillan points out an added ingredient to Saturday's game: "That will be (the Rockets') home opener. They'll be fired up."

NUGGETS 97, TRAIL BLAZERS 94: Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points, including a pair of free throws with 1.9 seconds left. Greg Oden missed a pair of gift shots with 4.6 seconds to go and Portland trailing 95-94. There were 60 fouls called and 90 free throws attempted -- 49 by Denver, which made 38. The Blazers were 33 of 39 at the line until Oden's misses at the end.