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Free Pick: Portland vs. Denver NBA Lines & Handicapping Preview

NBA Betting? Trail Blazers vs Nuggets Predictions

Early season NBA betting action sees the Portland Trail Blazers taking on the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Pepsi Center. Cappers Picks provides free NBA handicapping tips all season long.

NBA Picks

Portland Trail Blazers (5-3) vs. Denver Nuggets (1-5) 
Wednesday, Nov. 12
9:00 p.m. ET
Pepsi Center
TV: Local
NBA Betting Lines: Portland -2
NBA Betting Total:  209.5
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Portland

The Portland Trail Blazers have seen their last two games go in very different fashions. Two games ago, Portland took down these Denver Nuggets in a blowout, 116-100. Last game (Tuesday night), the Blazers needed a 23-point comeback just to beat the Charlotte Hornets 102-100.

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How will this game go? Let’s pull out the crystal ball and take an educated guess.

For starters, the Nuggets are not nearly the defensive unit that Charlotte is — and that’s saying something, considering the Hornets aren’t even the defensive unit that they were in 2013-14. Denver is giving up 108 points per contest to opponents, which is only good enough for 29th in the country.

Also worth noting is that the Blazers are 10th in the NBA in scoring. Think that won’t give Denver trouble, even at home?

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Think again.

Denver

The Nuggets will struggle to defend the Blazers in this one. The only good news (even though we know no team would ever root for injuries…) is that Rip City will be without Nicolas Batum when Portland visits Denver.

Where Denver needs to improve, both against Portland and against the rest of the Association, is three-point shooting. The team is shooting just .299 on the year, which is only good enough for 27th in the NBA.

Despite being looked at as a sleeper for a playoff spot entering this season, Denver is just 1-5 at that point in the process. The team won its opener against the lowly Detroit Pistons (now 2-5),  but it has proceeded to lose five straight by an average of 12.6 points per contest.

That doesn’t bode well for this organization straight up, and it doesn’t bode well for it against the spread when the line is set as low as it is at this juncture.

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NBA Handicapping Trends:

  • Under is 7-2 in POR last 9 overall.
  • Under is 7-2 in POR last 9 Wed. games.
  • Under is 9-3-1 in POR last 13 vs. NBA Northwest.
  • DEN are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 Wed. games.
  • Under is 7-2 in DEN last 9 vs. NBA Northwest.
  • Road team is 6-1-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
  • POR are 6-2-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings.

4* NBA Prediction: Portland -2

The Trail Blazers took down Denver by 16 when it played it two games ago. This time it will be on the road and without Nicolas Batum, but chances are, we see a win against a 1-5 team by at least two points.

Also in Portland’s favor is a more historically relevant head-to-head matchup. The team is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings, and the road team (which Portland is) is 6-1-1 ATS in the last eight.

Denver is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games falling on a Wednesday, but we’ll take the head-to-head history a bit more seriously considering the recent track record of both franchises.

Check out our Updated NBA Betting Odds.

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