With the NBA season drawing to a close, the battle for playoff positioning is heating up. The Denver Nuggets continue their season’s final four-game homestand with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Denver is fourth in the West with a 50-28 record, while Portland is ninth with a 40-38 record. Both teams are tied in the standings but fall behind in seeding due to head-to-head tiebreakers. The Nuggets lost the tiebreaker to the Lakers (3rd seed), who also have a 50-28 record, while the Trail Blazers are trailing the LA Clippers (8th seed) 2-1 in the season series, with one more game remaining.
This is the fourth and final meeting between the two teams, with the Nuggets holding a 2-1 lead. They last played on Mar. 22, when Denver won 128-112 behind Nikola Jokic’s triple-double of 22 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. Deni Avdija paced Portland with 23 points.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Odds
Moneyline: Blazers (+270) vs Nuggets (-340)
Spread: Blazers +8.5 (-115) vs Nuggets -8.5 (-105)
Total (O/U): Blazers o239.5 (-114) vs Nuggets u239.5 (-109)
Editor’s note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Preview
Denver is riding a season-high nine-game winning streak and is coming off a 136-134 overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Nikola Jokic had a 40-piece, his fourth of the season, along with eight rebounds and 13 assists. He’ll be hoping to stay hot long enough to propel the Nuggets into a better playoff position and grab home-court advantage in the first round.
Portland, on the other hand, is in the midst of a three-game winning streak and has gone 8-2 in its last ten. They are coming off a 118-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, with three players scoring 20+ points. Jrue Holiday led the way with 27 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Deni Avdija added 26 points with seven assists and eight rebounds, and Toumani Camara chipped in 23 points.
Portland’s recent surge saw them go from 10th to 8th, but they have a tough task ahead with difficult opponents in the final four-game stretch that could go a long way in nabbing a playoff spot.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Injury Reports
Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report
Vit Krejci, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant remain sidelined with calf injuries, while Damian Lillard is out with an Achilles injury.
Denver Nuggets Injury Report
Zeke Nnaji, Spencer Jones, and Peyton Watson are all sidelined with hamstring injuries, while Bruce Brown is listed as questionable with ankle issues.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Starting Lineups
Trail Blazers
PG: Jrue Holiday | SG: Toumani Camara | SF: Deni Avdija| PF: Jerami Grant | C: Donovan Clingan
Nuggets
PG: Jamal Murray | SG: Christian Braun | SF: Cameron Johnson | PF: Aaron Gordon | C: Nikola Jokic
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Prediction
The oddsmakers favor the Nuggets to get another home win, with Denver favored by an 8.5-point margin. We also think Denver will do enough to secure a vital win and gain more ground in the playoff race.
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