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Nuggets vs Trail Blazers – Preview, NBA Odds, and Free NBA Picks
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated28 Feb 2022
The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers will meet at the Moda Center in Portland in the fourth and final meeting between these two teams. Will the Nuggets continue their five-game winning streak? Or will the Trail Blazers get back on track after losing to the warriors by 37 points on February 24th? Below, we’ll preview the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers game and give free NBA picks for tonight’s clash in Oregon
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers – How to Watch the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Game
Below, we’ll break down some of the game information from tonight’s game.
- 🏀 Teams: Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers
- 📊 Record: Nuggets (35-25), Trail Blazers (25-35)
- 📅 Date: February 27th, 2022
- 🕛 Time: 9:00 PM EST
- 📺 TV Channel: Altitude Sports and Entertainment, Root Sports Plus
- 🏟 Venue: Moda Center
- 🎲 NBA Odds: Nuggets -8 over/under: 226
Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Odds
The Nuggets are 28-31 against the spread this season, while the Trail Blazers are 25-35. Denver is currently the 6th seed in the Western Conference, sitting just 2.5 games behind the Utah Jazz for the 4th seed and the top spot in the Northwest Division. The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, are 25-35 and are fighting for a spot in the Postseason Play-In Tournament. They currently sit in the 10th seed, so would be ‘in’ if the season were to end today.
Below, you can find NBA odds for the game from BetOnline, one of the best NBA betting sites.
| Bet | Denver Nuggets |
Portland Trail Blazers | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | -350 | +280 |  |
| Point Spread | -8(-110) | +8(-110) | |
| Total Points | Over 226 (-110) | Under 226 (-110) | |
Nuggets vs Trail Blazers News
In news not so directly related to a handicap in this game, the Denver Nuggets are on pace to have the lowest local NBA television rating in 15 years. Even with probably the best player in Nuggets franchise history gracing the court every night, they are struggling to draw eyes to the team. A lot of that has to do, though, with people in the area not having access to Altitude TV in Denver and the surrounding area.
This is stunning. The Nuggets’ 0.19 local TV rating is the lowest in the league and on pace to be the lowest NBA local rating in at least the last 15 years, per @sbjsbd. The glory years of Nuggets basketball led by the best player in franchise history continue to go unwatched. pic.twitter.com/ioOosodDhE
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) February 25, 2022
The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, have effectively begun a new generation of Blazers basketball. They traded CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans, and Damian Lillard is likely to miss the remainder of the season. It”s unclear which direction the Trail Blazers will go in regards to their star guard.
Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Injuries
Below, we’ll go over the injury news for the Nuggets Trail Blazers game on Sunday night. While these are the injuries as of now, we may see the Nuggets rest guys on the second night of a back-to-back. The Blazers shouldn’t have many late scratches as they haven’t played since the 24th.
Nuggets Injuries:
- G Jamal Murray (knee) out
- F Zeke Nnaji (knee) questionable
- F Michael Porter Jr. (back) out
Trail Blazers Injuries:
- G Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) out
- F Greg Brown III (illness) questionable
- G Joe Ingles (knee) out
- G Damian Lillard (core) out
- C Jusuf Nurkic (foot) out
Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Preview
Check out a complete breakdown of both teams below.
Nuggets Racking up Wins
The Denver Nuggets are streaking, having won their last five games and going 7-3 over their last 10. Over those last ten games, they’ve done a good job defensively, ranking 8th in Defensive Rating. They are also 11th in Offensive Rating. The defensive improvement for the Nuggets throughout the season has been a welcome sight, as this team could not get stops at the beginning of the year, as they ranked 27th in Defensive Rating in November. The Nuggets are also the best team in the NBA in limiting second chance points, ranking 1st in opponent Offensive Rebound %.
Trail Blazers Playing Scrappy Basketball
Prior to getting walloped by the Golden State Warriors on the 24th, the Blazers had won four straight games against the Lakers, Knicks, Bucks and Grizzlies. Those are some serious wins. They did so without Damian Lillard, and are instead getting major contributions from Josh Hart, Anfernee Simons and Justice Winslow. Winslow is averaging 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a member of the Blazers, and may be looking to revive his career after originally looking like an early-round draft bust.
If we give the Blazers a mulligan on their loss to the Warriors, they were top 10 in both Offensive and Defensive Rating in their previous five games. Even without their star players, Portland has been playing scrappy, inspired basketball as a group of players that have been rejected by other organizations.
NBA Betting Trends — Nuggets vs Trail Blazers
Check out some of the NBA betting trends for the game below.
Nuggets Trends
- Denver are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 13 of Denver’s last 20 games.
- Denver are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games against an opponent in the Northwest Division division.
Trail Blazers Trends
- Portland are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland’s last 5 games against Denver.
- Portland are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games against an opponent in the Northwest Division division.
Free NBA Picks — Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Picks & Prediction
I think the Portland Trail Blazers are catching too many points tonight. The Nuggets will be playing their third game in four nights and played a close game just last night, squeaking out a five point win against the Sacramento Kings.
The Blazers, on the other hand, haven’t played since the 24th and will be motivated to bounce back after their embarrassing loss that night. I also don’t completely buy the ‘tank’ narrative. If you’ve watched the Blazers play basketball the last six games, they play inspired.
Also, they are right in the hunt for a play-in game, so technically still have something to play for. I’ll take the team with fresh legs, fresh off of humiliation getting 8 or more points. Back Portland to keep it close at home, I have this line closer to 4.5/5.
I also like the Under in this game, as over the last five games both of these teams rank in the top 10 in Defensive Rating.
