Denver Nuggets (47-25) vs Portland Trail Blazers (42-30)
Game Info: Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 10:30 pm (Ball Arena)
Betting Odds: Denver Nuggets -1 -- Over/Under: 227.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets meet Saturday in game one of the NBA West Playoffs at the Ball Arena.
The Portland Trail Blazers enter the playoffs winning 10 of their last 12 games. The Portland Trail Blazers are averaging 116.1 points on 45.3 percent shooting and allowing 114.3 points on 47.3 percent shooting. Damian Lillard is averaging 28.8 points and 7.5 assists while CJ McCollum is averaging 23.1 points and 3.9 rebounds. Norman Powell is the third double-digit scorer and Carmelo Anthony is grabbing 3.1 rebounds. The Portland Trail Blazers are shooting 38.5 percent from beyond the arc and 82.3 percent from the free throw line. The Portland Trail Blazers are allowing 37.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.5 rebounds per game.
The Denver Nuggets enter the playoffs splitting their last eight games. The Denver Nuggets are averaging 115.1 points on 48.5 percent shooting and allowing 110.1 points on 46.9 percent shooting. Nikola Jokic is averaging 26.4 points and 10.8 rebounds while Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 19 points and 1.1 assists. Will Barton is the third double-digit scorer and Monte Morris is grabbing two rebounds. The Denver Nuggets are shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc and 80.3 percent from the free throw line. The Denver Nuggets are allowing 36.3 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44.4 rebounds per game.
The Trail Blazers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 road games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Nuggets are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 3 or more days rest. The under is 5-1 in Trail Blazers last 6 Saturday games. The over is 7-2 in Nuggets last 9 Saturday games. The Trail Blazers are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
The Portland Trail Blazers are getting hot at the right time, which includes winning their last five games by an average of 11 points. However, the Trail Blazers have underachieved a lot and they have a history of laying eggs in big moments. I root for Lillard and CJ personally, but the Trail Blazers can be tough to trust at times. The Denver Nuggets win at home by an average of 6.5 points and in the favorite role by an average of 6.9 points. The Nuggets also have the ultimate mismatch in this series with Nikola Jokic, who should feast in these games. Should be a competitive series, but with this cheap line, I have to lean Nuggets at home.
Randy’s Pick Denver Nuggets -1
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds