Denver has come to within a single game of the WCF, a place they have not been since they had Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson leading the team. This is a deep team which has seen its bench coming through with big-time production. Nikola Jokic is going to look to continue leading Denver’s offense, while Torrey Craig and Paul Millsap will be anchoring the defense. They look to end their 10-year drought without a WCF appearance.
Portland is looking to get back into their rhythm after dropping the past two games. Terry Stotts has changed the lineup with Moe Harkless playing fewer minutes, and the impact has been seen with the defense struggling later. They have had their bench step up in the past few games, and that will continue to have to be the case. It has been 20 years since they have made it past this round in the postseason, and they hope that this can be the year.
Nuggets at Trail Blazers odds
Spread: POR -4
O/U: 215
Nuggets at Trail Blazers stats
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic continued to dominate with a 25-19-6 line, with a +26-net rating. They broke even with him off the floor, which is equally important. Paul Millsap was on his game with 24 points, while Will Barton and Malik Beasley each added 10. They have continued to struggle mightily from the three-point line, making only eight of 24 shots from downtown. They went 90% at the line, making all of their free opportunities. When every single starter on your team has a positive +/-, it is going to be very hard to come away with a loss.
Trail Blazers: We start with the fact that they hit only 10 of 37 threes, and missed nearly 50% of their foul shots. It was horrible. CJ McCollum shot only five of 16, while Dame went nine for 21. Both Rodney Hood and Zach Collins added 14 points off the bench, but in a losing cause. If there is anything good that came out of their loss, it is that the starters played far less than usual and should be much better rested ahead of the biggest game of the season. In front of their home fans, they’ll look to force a seventh game.
Nuggets at Trail Blazers H2H
Portland has gone 8-16 after a loss (straight-up) in the playoffs under Terry Stotts. They are 14-30-1 against the spread in the playoffs under Stotts during his tenure here as well, two things that will hopefully change for their sake.
Nuggets at Trail Blazers predictions
Alright folks, time for the moment of truth. Make sure you bet POR -4! They are going to leave with a win, and we are going to have a Game 7 in the West. There is uncertainty in GS after KD’s injury last night, which could open the conference right up. Big W for Portland.
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