The Denver Nuggets will travel to Portland to take on the 3-0 Trail Blazers in a divisional battle. Star point guard Damian Lillard has not missed a step after only playing 29 games last season. He dropped 41 points against the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers last night for his second 40-point game this season. The Nuggets, led by MVP Nikola Jokic, are 4.5-point favorites with a total of 226.
Best Nuggets-Trail Blazers Odds & Predictions
Nuggets Off to a 2-1 Start
The Nuggets come into this game at 2-1 after dropping their season opener to the tanking Utah Jazz. They’ve scored over 120 points in back-to-back games and look loaded on offense with the return of star guard Jamal Murray. The acquisition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has shown to prove dividends, especially on the defensive end. He has a defensive rating of 123 and could give Lillard fits tonight. In two games, Murray has registered 28 points on 11/24 from the field. He has played over 25 minutes in both games and will look to break out tonight against a Blazers team that allowed De’Aaron Fox to score 33 points and dish out seven assists.
Trail Blazers Eye a 4-0 Start
The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t had a 4-0 start in the 21st century and will look to continue to turn heads around the league. The Blazers entered their first full season without the duo of Lillard and CJ McCollum after nine seasons. Young guard Anfernee Simons heads the future of the Trail Blazers and has started his 2022-2023 campaign averaging close to 17 points per game on 34% shooting.
Final Nuggets-Trail Blazers Odds & Pick
The Nuggets are riding a two-game win streak against the reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blazers are fresh off a daytime two-point win against the Lakers yesterday. All five starters played over 30 minutes and may have tired legs out of the gate in their first back-to-back game of the season. The Nuggets have contained Lillard over the last two seasons. He hasn’t scored more than 25 points since the bubble days and Denver has the guards to make life difficult for the six-time All-Star.
Nuggets-Trail Blazers Picks: Nuggets -4.5 (FanDuel -110)
