Free NBA Pick: Blazers vs. Nuggets NBA Odds
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2021 NBA Handicapping
(18-12) Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets (16-14)
Date: Tuesday, February 23rd
Time: 10:00 PM EST
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver Colorado
NBA Moneyline Odds: Blazers +280 | Nuggets -320
NBA Betting Odds: Nuggets -8
NBA Betting Total: 231
Tuesday, February 23rd, the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets play for the first time this season.
Last season, the squads played four times with the Nuggets winning three of the four contests. The Blazers hold the all-time record having won 99 matches of the 184 played.
Portland Trail Blazers
The one team most in need of the All-Star break is the Portland Trail Blazers who’ve navigated injuries to a trio of their core but managed to stay afloat behind the MVP type efforts of Damian Lillard.
When CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic joined Zach Collins for extended injury absences most pundits felt if Portland could somehow play .500 ball they might avoid falling off the ladder.
Instead
Harry Giles (calf) missed the last four games and is listed as day-to-day. CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic have missed 17 and 18 games respectively. During this stretch, Portland is 11-7 which has helped stay on the playoff ladder.
Until last week they held the fourth seed but losses to the Wizards and Suns in combination with Phoenix winning nine of their last ten has dropped them to fifth, two games back.
So the loss Monday wasn’t ideal but losing as badly as they did (132-100) again my be a sign this team is finally succumbing to playing shorthanded for the majority of the season.
Lillard led the Blazers versus the Suns with 24 points and seven assists but was cold from the perimeter hitting only one of his seven attempts.
Nasir Little (18), Gary Trent Jr. (11), and Carmelo Anthony (10) all scored in double-figures while Enes Kanter collected 15 rebounds.
CJ should be close to returning while Nurkic won’t be back until mid-March. Zach Collins (medial malleolus stress fracture to his ankle) remains out with no timetable for return.
Denver Nuggets
The see-saw season continues for the Denver Nuggets who spend a week looking like title threats and then vacillates to being a squad who’ll be lucky to make the postseason.
They’ve lost three of their last four matches including games to the Wizards and Hawks who theoretically they should have the decided advantage against.
Granted they continue to deal with a revolving door of injured players and constancy issues but one player who seems to have turned the corner is Jamal Murray.
Reportedly, head coach Mike Malone spoke to the Canadian superstar asking him to be more aggressive on offense and Murray let his actions confirm he got the message.
Through the last five games, Murray is registering 33 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 52.2% from the perimeter on 9.2 attempts. He’s also shooting 60.4% from the field and 90.5% from the line more than meeting the elite benchmark of 50-40-90.
The injury situation is less than ideal for this match with Gary Harris (left adductor strain), Paul Millsap (knee), JaMychal Green (shoulder), and PJ Dozier (hamstring) all out.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The teams are 5-5 in the teams last 10 head to head meetings
- The Nuggets are 6-4 ATS in the last 10 head to head meetings
- Over/Under is 6-4 in the teams last 10 head to head meetings
Free Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets NBA Prediction:
Although both clubs are mired by injury and haven’t been effective defensively it won’t surprise me if they are among the final four standing in the West.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Blazers +8 but Nuggets win
It’s not how you start a season but how you finish — the Nuggets and Blazers just need to get to the break without any further slippage or injury. This could be a showdown between Murray and Lillard so grab the popcorn but the advantage goes to Denver as Jokic has no counter on Portland.
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