Preview: Baring Denver Nuggets Take On Lottery Bound Portland Trail Blazers

The nugget hits their steps right in the season’s meat. Winners of six in a row now seem to make it lucky number seven against the Portland Trail Blazers. Denver has some injuries to contend with, they will be without Russell Westbrook & Peyton Watson for sure, and Michael Porter Jr. is listed as questionable. Meanwhile, Portland begins to get healthier, yet Lottery is tied again. Blazers were strangely inactive at the trade deadline and still left them as a team with a strange mix of young developing talent and also expensive win-now veterans. While things have been better recently in Portland, they again look like a team that beat through a lost season.

The essentials

WHO: Denver Nuggets (34-19) vs Portland Trail Blazers (23-30)

When: 19:00 mst

Where: The can. Denver, co.

How to see/listen: Height TV (now on Comcast!), Height+, NBA League Pass for those not in the Nuggets market, height radio 92.5fm.

Rival blog: Blazer’s Edge

Matchup

Damage report: Aaron Gordon – Sandicable (Calf), Jamal Murray – probable (knee), Michael Porter Jr. – Doubtful (Hamstring), Russell Westbrook – Out (Hamstring), Peyton Watson – Out (Knee), Vlatko Cancar – Out (Knee), Out (Hamstring) Daron Holmes II – Out (Achilles); Jerami Grant-Divide (Knee), Robert Williams III Dislay (Knee), Kris Murray-Difse (Quad), Matisse Thybulle-Out (Ankle), Sidy Cissoko-Out (G-League), Justin Minaya-Out (g- League).

The three things

The case to look after: Players have to continue to step up

With the opportunity again tonight that Denver is down three rotation players, the nuggets must again make other guys step up at all levels. With other guys, I basically mean everyone but Nikola Jokic who always steps up. If MPJ is out, Jamal Murray again has to step up in a scoring role and give the secondary score to Jokic. If Jamal is off, this responsibility falls to Aaron Gordon. With Russell Westbrook Out Denver’s other key roles, players have to fill the gaps. Christian Braun has to continue to get out and run and be aggressive towards the basket. Julian Strawther must be another scoring opportunity from the outside. Jalen Pickett has to play strong minutes like a backup point guard. With Peyton Watson out of Zeke Nnaji, have to continue to be a serviceable defensive large (which hopefully can hit a shot or two). Nuggets Run of Good Play over the past month or so is not because Nikola dominates. He does, of course, but he did at the beginning of the year. The difference has been the contributions of guys around them and how they have stepped up their games.

The case to remember: Portland may be figuring out some things

No one expects Blazers to play end games, but if you look at the position, they are only four losses left on play-in. That’s because Portland has won 10 of their last 12 games. They have done it basically with defense. They haven’t allowed a single team to score over 120 in the last dozen matches, and in their ten wins only allowed two teams to score over 110 while holding six under 105. Meanwhile, anfe Simons is still the straw that touches The drink of wrongdoing for Portland, but Deandre Ayton has been solid from late, and like Denver, Portland’s less ushered role players have stepped up. Nuggets will have to stay focused tonight, they can’t just look at the overall items and assume this is an easy W.

The case to bet: JOKIC OVER 10.5 ASSISTS (+105)

Portland has a decent amount of size to throw on Nikola with Ayton and Robert Williams III, but the last time these teams played they were happy to let Jokic be a goal scorer … He fell 34 on them. I think they will adjust tonight and try to force the ball out of his hands a little more. JOK has not stacked up Monster Assist numbers recently (though still basically good for 10 at night), so the odds are in our advantage of +105.