NEW ORLEANS �” The lasting image from the head coaching debut of Hornets general manager Jeff Bower will be that of New Orleans’ biggest star, Chris Paul, being carried off the court by teammates with one hand over his face.

Given the way New Orleans has struggled when Paul is not on the court, Bower could be in for a tough first few games in his new job.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 13 rebounds, helping Portland to an 86-78 victory over a New Orleans team on Friday night that lost Paul to a sprained left ankle while trying to adjust to the firing of Byron Scott.

Paul left the arena on crutches, saying he would not play tonight in Atlanta and beyond that could not be sure about how serious the injury was.

“I hate to watch and I hate to know that I’m going to miss a game,” said Paul, who said he expected about 75 friends and relatives to attend the Atlanta game. “They just took X-rays. I don’t know anything.”

The Hornets trailed for most of their first game since Scott’s firing on Thursday. Bower and new top assistant Tim Floyd struggled to find a lineup that could score consistently even when Paul was in the game.

Still, Bower was pleased with the way the Hornets played defense, allowing the second-fewest points in 10 games this season.

“We struggled scoring the ball obviously, but we didn’t let our offense affect our defense, and I think that’s another sign of a step forward,” Bower said.

Paul sprained his left ankle at the end of the third quarter, moments after setting up Hilton Armstrong’s dunk that cut Portland’s lead to 62-52.

Brandon Roy scored 15 points for the Trail Blazers, who won their fifth straight game while dropping New Orleans to its fourth loss in five games.

“Any time you win road games, it’s huge,” Roy said.

Andre Miller had 12 points and Joel Przybilla 10 for the Blazers, while Greg Oden grabbed 12 rebounds. Oden and Przybilla each blocked three shots. Portland outrebounded New Orleans 60-40 and finished with a 22-3 advantage in second-chance points.

Aldridge helped Portland pull away by consistently hitting his mid-range jumper in the third quarter, when he scored all of the Blazers’ points during an 8-2 run that increased Portland’s lead to 54-40.

“We needed some offense,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said. “His jump shot was on and he was able to get to the basket a couple of times. I would like to see him go to the basket more.”

Bower, who also will remain general manager, tried a variety of lineups, including one with 2009 first-round draft choice Darren Collison and Paul playing in the backcourt together. Collison remained at point guard after Paul was hurt and finished with a career-high 18 points.

Fellow Hornets rookie Marcus Thornton led the Hornets with a career-high 20. David West was the only starter in double figures with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Nuggets 105, Lakers 79: Carmelo Anthony got the better of Ron Artest, scoring 25 points in 29 minutes and leading the Denver Nuggets past the Los Angeles Lakers 105-79 Friday night.

The Lakers’ six-game winning streak was snapped. They scored just eight points in the third quarter as the Nuggets turned a two-point halftime lead into an 87-64 cushion.

Held to seven points in less than 12 first-half minutes because of foul trouble, Anthony scored 10 quick points in the third quarter to give the Nuggets (7-3) a double-digit lead and turn this one into a laugher.

’Melo’s run was highlighted by his steal from Lamar Odom and a breakaway basket. After that, the Lakers (7-2) looked like a team coming off a late game in Los Angeles the night before.

Mavericks 89, Timberwolves 77: Dirk Nowitzki scored 15 of his 20 points in a tense third quarter and had 11 rebounds to lead the Mavericks.

Nowitzki only had a quiet five points and five rebounds in the first half before jawing with Timberwolves rookie Jonny Flynn five minutes into the third. He received a technical foul, then scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots in the next seven minutes to hand the Timberwolves their ninth straight loss.

Flynn had 11 points and four assists for the Wolves, who shot a season-worst 32.6 percent for the game and lost their 13th in a row against Dallas.

Magic 88, Nets 72: Dwight Howard had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Matt Barnes added 13 points and 13 rebounds and Orlando put away winless New Jersey.

New Jersey got a triple-double from point guard Rafer Alston, the first triple-double of his career, but the Nets fell to 0-9. They are the NBA’s only winless team.

Alston had 17 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds against his former team, but the Nets shot poorly and scored only 30 points in the second half.

Orlando’s Mickael Pietrus scored 16 points, Vince Carter had 14 and Jameer Nelson added 10 as all five Magic starters scored in double figures.

Jazz 112, 76ers 90: Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Wesley Matthews added a career-high 16 points and short-handed Utah ran past Philadelphia.

Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur scored 15 points each, Ronnie Brewer contributed 14 and Eric Maynor had 13 points and 11 assists for the Jazz, who played without point guard Deron Williams yet still had seven players in double figures. Andrei Kirilenko had 13.

Williams �” who leads the Jazz in scoring and assists �” temporarily left the team to deal with a family medical issue, but could return in time for Saturday’s game at Cleveland.

The Jazz had only nine available players. Also missing were guards Ronnie Price (sprained left big toe) and Kyle Korver (left knee surgery) as well as forwards Matt Harpring (ankle/knee) and C.J. Miles (left thumb surgery).

Warriors 121, Knicks 107: Stephen Jackson scored 23 points, three other players had 22, and Golden State sent New York to the worst 10-game start in franchise history.

Monta Ellis, Kelenna Azubuike and Corey Maggette all had 22 for the Warriors, who easily improved to 1-1 on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip by shooting 58 percent from the field. Reserve C.J. Watson finished with 19.

Danilo Gallinari had 19 points and 10 rebounds in his first career double-double for the Knicks, who dropped their sixth straight and fell to 1-9. David Lee scored 17 points and former Warriors forward Al Harrington had 16.

Hawks 97, Celtics 86: Joe Johnson scored 24 points, Jamal Crawford had 18 and the Atlanta Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter.

Josh Smith scored 14 and Al Horford had 12 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks (7-2) continued their strong start this season.

Last week, Phoenix gave Boston (8-2) its first loss of the season after a 7-0 start.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points despite bruising his left knee early in the third quarter. Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins scored 14 points apiece.

Kings 109, Rockets 100: Jason Thompson had a career-high 27 points and added 11 rebounds for the Kings, who won their fourth straight game.

The previous time the Kings won four consecutive games was late in the 2007-08 season.

Trevor Ariza scored 28 points for the Rockets. Shane Battier had 23 points and Luis Scola had 20 points and nine rebounds.

Beno Udrih had 22 points for the Kings, and Tyreke Evans had 20 points.

Raptors 104, Clippers 89: Chris Bosh had 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who overcame an early 22-point deficit and made four 3-point shots during a game-ending 16-0 run.

Toronto began a four-game road trip with its fourth straight victory over the Clippers at Staples Center. Andrea Bargnani had 19 points and Jose Calderon added 18 for the Raptors.

Chris Kaman, who fought through a virus to get 20 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday’s home loss at New Orleans, made his first five shots against the Raptors and finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes. But his layup with 8:18 remaining was the last field goal for the Clippers, who went scoreless over the final 6:58 and shot 5 for 17 in the fourth quarter.