Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - May 22nd | Game 1, 2021 NBA Playoffs

The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets will face off in the NBA Playoffs for the second time in three years. The Nuggets enjoyed the advantage against the Blazers during the regular season, winning two out of the three games that the two sides played earlier this year.

The Portland Trail Blazers had to dig deep to avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament. Terry Stotts' men lost 10 of their first 13 games in April and dropped to the seventh seed in the process. Damian Lillard and co. eventually struck form, winning 10 of their remaining 12 matchups to finish with a 42-30 record and qualify for the playoffs as the sixth seed in the West.

The Denver Nuggets had a slow start to the season despite MVP favorite Nikola Jokic playing at an elite level. Mike Malone's men finally found some chemistry in March but it was the Aaron Gordon trade that truly changed their fortunes. The Nuggets immediately went on an eight-game winning run after that move and carried that momentum the rest of the way to finish with a 47-25 record.

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Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report

Zach Collins

The Portland Trail Blazers had to deal with several injuries during the regular season but most of their players have regained full fitness in time. Zach Collins continues to be the only missing player for the Blazers. Collins had ankle surgery and didn't play a single game during the 2020-21 season.

Denver Nuggets Injury Report

Will Barton

Will Barton has missed the last 13 games for the Denver Nuggets with a hamstring injury and his spell on the sidelines is set to last longer. He has been able to undergo partial court activity and is likely to return at some point during this series.

There's no update on PJ Dozier who will miss out again due to an adductor strain. Meanwhile, Austin Rivers is questionable with a non-COVID related illness. Jamal Murray is the final absentee for the Denver Nuggets and he's set to miss a considerable amount of time after undergoing surgery to fix his torn ACL.

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Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets: Predicted Lineups

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers will stick to their offense-heavy approach, with Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Norman Powell being the first three names in the starting lineup. Robert Covington has fallen short of expectations, but he's still a potent 3-and-D option and will start as the power forward. Jusuf Nurkic will complete the starting five.

y'all wanted more videos from practice so we present to you: a video from practice 😂 pic.twitter.com/nr5Pst6wTZ

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) May 21, 2021

Carmelo Anthony is the most productive option off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers, but Anfernee Simons can catch fire from downtown as well. Backup center Enes Kanter can also help the Blazers with his rebounding and post-up moves.

Denver Nuggets

Facundo Campazzo is notoriously known for irritating his matchups with a pesky brand of defense and he'll start at point guard for the Denver Nuggets. Head coach Mike Malone will be hoping that Austin Rivers is able to shed his illness and join the backcourt.

Prep week ✅#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/ox73xba61i

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 22, 2021

Much of the offense will once again be facilitated by Nikola Jokic and he'll be supported by Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon in the frontcourt. Veteran Paul Millsap is expected to provide solid minutes off the bench. JaMychal Green and Shaquille Harrison are likely to feature in the rotation as well.

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Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets: Predicted Starting 5s

Portland Trail Blazers

Point Guard - Damian Lillard | Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum | Small Forward - Norman Powell | Power Forward - Robert Covington | Center - Jusuf Nurkic

Denver Nuggets

Point Guard - Facundo Campazzo | Shooting Guard - Austin Rivers | Small Forward - Michael Porter Jr. | Power Forward - Aaron Gordon | Center - Nikola Jokic

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