The Denver Nuggets play host to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Ball Arena on Friday night. Here’s a Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Prediction.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have been in decent shape as they’ve won five of their last nine games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight win after outlasting the Bucks in a 119-116 win on Wednesday. Anfernee Simons led the team with 24 points and five assists, Deandre Ayton addedd 20 points with 11 rebounds while Jerami Grant chipped in with 18 points. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 53 percent from the field and 12 of 28 from the 3-point line as they really took it to the Bucks from the start, matching them shot for shot until they held the Bucks to just two points in the final 1:12 to come away with the upset win at home. The Blazers will play against the Pistons after a back-to-back set with the Nuggets.
Portland Trail Blazers Team Facts
- The Trail Blazers have lost each of their last 12 road games against Western Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last eight road games against Northwest Division opponents following a win.
- Nine of the Trail Blazers’ last 10 games as underdogs following a home win have gone UNDER the total points line.
Denver Nuggets
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets have been in pretty good shape as they’ve won five of their last seven games overall, but they will be looking to bounce back here after getting beaten by the Thunder in a 105-100 road loss on Wednesday. Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray and Reggie Jackson each scored 16 points, Michael Porter Jr added 15 points while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope chipped in with 11 points. As a team, the Nuggets shot just 39 percent from the field and 15 of 37 from the 3-point line as they held the Thunder to just 19 points in the first quarter to take an early 13-point lead, but they struggled to maintain that pace without Nikola Jokic in the lineup and went scoreless in the first 4:03 of the fourth quarter to allow the Thunder to pull away.
Denver Nuggets Team Facts
- The Nuggets have won each of their last seven home games against teams that held a losing record.
- The Nuggets have covered the spread in each of their last six games as home favorites against the Trail Blazers.
- Each of the Nuggets’ last seven games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Prediction
The Trail Blazers are still missing Moses Brown and Shaedon Sharpe while the Nuggets could be shorthanded again with Nikola Jokic listed as questionable here. The Nuggets are certainly heavy favorites here as the Nuggets have won 19 of their 23 home games this season, but the Trail Blazers have sprung to life with a couple of impressive wins, so they will be full of confidence here. It’s hard to imagine anything but a bounce back win for the Nuggets at home, but I think the Trail Blazers hang around long enough to get the cover in the end.