That's what people will most remember about Jarrett Jack's outing against the Denver Nuggets.

They won't remember his near triple-double (17 points, 9 assists, 9 rebounds), or his 11 points in the fourth quarter to help push Portland into overtime after being down as much as 17 points early on. Instead, the turnover is the lasting memory from a heartbreaker at the Rose Garden, and perhaps nobody feels the pain more than Jack himself.

"I guess I was moving faster than the ball was," Jack said of his turnover with 15.5 left and the score tied at 103. "The ball kind of got away from me. "

"For me personally that is a tough one to swallow. I don't think necessarily because of the play at the end, but considering it's a division game and this could possibly be the one it comes down to in the end and keeping us out of the playoffs. It just stings a little bit."

But this didn't come down to one play are one players miscue. The glaring numbers tell the true story for the Blazers.

Denver outscored Portland in the paint (60 to 20) and won the fastbreak game too (26 to 11). And perhaps the most disparaging stat of the night is the one credited to Jack's last blunder: 18 total turnovers. That last one hurt.  

Combine that with Allen Iverson's long three at the end of the quarter, and that was the switch that turned Iverson on. His  game-winning shot with 15.5 left in overtime shines the brightest.

"I wasn't hitting anything before that," Iverson offered. "I just wanted to stay aggressive and stay in it mentally."

Portland now drops to 6-2 in games decided by three points or less this season and split the season series with Denver at two a piece.

With the loss, the Blazers also move to three full games back of division leading Utah, whom the Nuggets fly home to face on Wednesday night.

As for Portland, they welcome Chicago to the Rose Garden on Wednesday where the Blazers can only hope they play better overall then they did Monday night.

"Teams are going to play us good," a discouraged Brandon Roy said afterwards.

"I told the guys to keep their heads up and keep playing hard."

That's all anyone can do now.

Before then, the Blazers first five had gone scoreless leaving Travis Outlaw, Jarrett Jack and Channing Frye to do the dirty work (they combined for 26 points in the first half) off the bench.

Portland just couldn't buy a basket in the first quarter and for the start of the second quarter for that matter.  But just as quickly as Denver mounted a 17 point lead, it was trimmed to six just before the half courtesy of a little hardwood hustle from Nate McMillan's bunch. But still the Blazers looked sluggish, with both Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge laying bricks.

Hard to get those off the brain.

That's the time you really miss James Jones. Not only does he help spread the floor and can hit from deep, but Jones is known for being savvy and directing guys where to be. With Portland shooting a horrible 20 % in the first quarter-0% before Frye came off the bench to hit at 4:43-, the Blazers certainly could have used Jones.

And while Portland last the battle on the boards (30-22), they are at least contesting some shots (7 blocks!)

Denver looked rattled when Portland scored 30 points in the second half. But the Nuggets are the one leading at the half, thanks to Linas Kleiza hitting from beyond the arc (2-4) and Allen Iverson getting to the paint (Nuggets lead with 28 points in the paint).

Portland has to put a stop to that in the second half, both swarming Kleiza outside and shutting down A.I. from getting into the lane. Gotta lay a body on him….

Look for Portland to come out hungry. Call it a hunch.

See you after the game….

Neither will play tonight. Camby is now listed as day-to-day with a left knee contusion and Jones will "shut it down" until after the All-Star break according the Nate McMillan. Jones is feeling some discomfort in the same knee that gave him fits earlier in the year, a problem McMillan noticed on their 7 game road trip recently. McMillan chalked it up to tall the flying, said the knee tended to worsen in the air.

You can tell of late to, especially the way Jones has been shooting…..and missing….the same three balls that made him the league leader from beyond the arc. He's since fallen second behind Jason Kapono from Toronto. That also means no three-point competition for Jones at All-Star.

This explains the return of Josh McRoberts from the Idaho Stampede, with Jones moved to the inactive list and both Martell Webster and Brandon Roy likely to see more minutes at the three.

But for McMillan, it's more than not having Jones or the return of McRoberts. He wants to get Portland back to having some fun out on the court.

"We're a little tight right now," McMillan explained.

Maybe tonight, with Denver second behind Utah and a full game ahead of Portland, the Blazers can loosen up. Portland leads Denver on the season series so far at 2-1.

Will tonight make three for Portland or increase the Nuggets lead in the Northwest Division?

Catch you at the half…..