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The Denver Nuggets visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday at the Moda Center in Portland, with tipoff at 10 p.m. ET. This will be the third game of their season series, with the Nuggets leading 2-0, and is part of the NBA's 10-game slate.
The Nuggets, 37-19, are fourth in the West and will play on the second night of a back-to-back, beating the Washington Wizards 130-110. Nikola Jokic secured a triple-double with 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists on 100% shooting.
Meanwhile, the Blazers, 15-39, are 14th in the West, coming off a 128-91 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 15. The Wolves' topped-ranked defense held the Blazers to 14 points and 15 points in the first and fourth quarter on 37.3% shooting.
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Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers prediction, preview, starting lineups and betting tips
The game between the Nuggets and Blazers will be broadcast locally on Root Sports and Root Sports Plus for home and away coverage.
It will also be available for live streaming on NBA League Pass and Fubo TV with a free trial, giving viewers access to NBA TV for a week.
Spread: Nuggets -8.5 vs. Blazers +9.5
Moneyline: Nuggets -400 vs. Blazers +350
Total over and under: Nuggets O 218 vs. Blazers U 218.5
Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers preview
The defending champions found the All-Star Break arriving at a crucial moment, as they were experiencing a challenging period marked by three consecutive losses.
The slump led to them slipping to fourth place in the Western Conference. The break provided an opportunity for the Nuggets to rest and regroup as they look to revitalize their efforts in the second half of the season.
The Nuggets are 19th in scoring. Their overall field goal shooting is strong, ranking eighth, including 13th in 3-point shooting. However, they're not heavily dependent on 3-pointers, as evidenced by their 26th rank in the league for 3-point field goals made per game.
They are 10th in the league for total rpg and seventh for committing the fewest turnovers per game this season.
Meanwhile, the Blazers are coming of six consecutive losses. They lost to the Nuggets by an average of 11 points in their last two outings.
As the playoffs become an unreachable goal for the Blazers, the remaining weeks of the season will serve as a valuable period to assess their roster, determining which players should remain and who could be better suited elsewhere.
They rank 17th in defense, 29th in scoring, last in field goal percentage and 25th in 3-point shooting, with 23rd in 3-point makes per game.
Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers starting lineups
The Nuggets could start Jamal Murray at PG, K.Caldwell-Pope at SG, Michael Porter Jr. at SF, Aaron Gordon at PF and Nikola Jokic at center.
Meanwhile, the Blazers will likely start Scoot Henderson at PG, Anfernee Simons at SG, Toumani Camara at SF, Jerami Grant at PF and Deandre Ayton at center.
The starting lineups are provisional and may be adjusted based on the final status of players who are listed as questionable.
Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers betting tips
Nikola Jokic has averaged 26.0 points, 12.1 rebounds and 9.1 assists. His point prop is set at over/under 24.5 and is favorable to cross or reach this mark.
Jamal Murray has averaged 20.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists. His point prop is set at over/under 19.5 and is favorable to cross or reach this mark.
Anfernee Simons has averaged 22.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists. His point prop is set at over/under 24.5 and is favorable to reach this mark.
The odds mentioned are based on the information available at the time of writing and may be subject to change as game time approaches.
Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers predictions
The Denver Nuggets are heavily favored to win despite playing on the road, according to sportsbooks and betting lines. They are favored with a -9 point spread and -420 on the moneyline.
However, the Nuggets have not covered the spread in eight of their previous 10 games. The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to go under the 218.5 mark, while the Nuggets are favored to cross the over mark at 218.
Trail Blazers Nation! You can check out the latest Portland Trail Blazers Schedule and dive into the Trail Blazers Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.
