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After a narrow five-point loss on Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers were back to their best at the weekend and evened up their series with the Denver Nuggets. Norman Powell had his best game of the series with 29 points while the Nuggets fell flat on offense.
This has been a volatile series with neither side playing consistently well. You can imagine the Denver Nuggets will come out firing on this one, though, after their embarrassment on Saturday.
Match Details
Fixture - Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets | Game 5, 2020-21 NBA Playoffs.
Date & Time - Tuesday, June 1st; 9:00 PM ET (Wednesday, June 2nd; 6:30 AM IST).
Venue - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Everything seemed to work out for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. They shot at 50% from the field, receiving contributions throughout the team and not just from their guards, but most importantly, they kept Nikola Jokic quiet. Jusuf Nurkic was essential to that, who grabbed 17 points and six rebounds in just 27 minutes.
They won their first game of the series in Denver when their backcourt pairing combined for 55 points. Lillard and CJ McCollum have been electric so far and could be the deciding ones as to whether the Portland Trail Blazers will advance or not. In the first three games, they averaged 59 together and have proved too much for the Denver Nuggets' backcourt without Jamal Murray.
Key Player - Damian Lillard
Although he shot perfectly from the line, Damian Lillard had an awful shooting night in game four, making only one field goal attempt. Nevertheless, he remains the Portland Trail Blazers' greatest threat on offense and almost registered a triple-double by becoming a creator once he realized his shots weren't falling.
He is still averaging over 30 points a night against the Denver Nuggets despite his 10-point outing on Saturday. Dame also ranks seventh among all players for assists with 9.5 per game. The Portland Trail Blazers star looked unstoppable in the first three games and continues to be too much for his opposing number.
Denver Nuggets Preview
Game 4 was ugly from the Denver Nuggets and easily their worst performance yet in this series. They shot the ball at just 34% from the field and 29% from downtown while Jokic was their highest scoring player with just 16 points. Their second-highest scorer, Michael Porter Jr., meanwhile, was limited to just three points and five rebounds.
With the series now heading back to Colorado, the Denver Nuggets are going to have to make some serious adjustments to take back the lead. They struggled for impetus on Saturday, despite putting up 120+ points in the previous two games, and allowed 46 points in the paint.
Key Player - Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic had a rare off-night offensively in game four, having dominated the previous three fixtures and averaging over 34 points. He put up just 16 on Saturday with only one assist, an aspect of his game that he has developed and has helped make him the MVP favorite this year.
Akin to Lillard, though, this was just a blip, and you can imagine the Denver Nuggets star will be back firing on home court. He is still averaging 31 points and 11 rebounds in the series and shoots at over 90% from the free-throw line. His shooting, too, has been electric, averaging 50-40-90 statlines over four games.
Predicted Starting 5's
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
Trail Blazers vs Nuggets Match Prediction
The series is arguably one of the trickiest to predict given the inconsistent nature of the matchups so far. The Portland Trail Blazers have a great opportunity to steal another game on the road on Tuesday night and will come into it buoyed by their performance at the weekend.
However, it is rare for Nikola Jokic to have a bad game. It is even rarer for him to have two in a row. We believe the Denver Nuggets star will be back at his best and that makes them a very different opponent. The Nuggets should win this one, though the Portland Trail Blazers will run it close again, similar to game three.
Where to watch the Trail Blazers vs Nuggets matchup
Game five will be broadcast locally on NBC Sports Northwest and on the Altitude network. It will also be shown nationally on NBA TV and is available on the NBA League Pass.
