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The Denver Nuggets will look to even their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series with the Portland Trail Blazers when they meet in a Game 2 matchup in the 2021 NBA Playoffs on Monday. The Trail Blazers (42-30), who are 23-14 on the road this year, including the postseason, used a big second half to post a 123-109 win in the series opener. The Nuggets (47-25), who won two of three regular-season games against Portland, have won five of their last eight games. Jamal Murray (knee), Will Barton (hamstring) and P.J. Dozier (groin) are all out for Denver.

The game from Ball Arena in Denver is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Denver is a two-point favorite in the latest Blazers vs. Nuggets odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 226.5. Before finalizing any Nuggets vs. Blazers picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned over $9,100 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past two-plus seasons. The model is up almost $900 on its top-rated picks this season and entered the 2020-21 NBA Playoffs on a stunning 99-66 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread dating back to last season. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Nuggets vs. Blazers in the NBA Playoffs 2021. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Blazers vs. Nuggets:

  • Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets spread: Nuggets -2
  • Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets over-under: 226.5 points
  • Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets money line: Trail Blazers +110, Nuggets -130
  • POR: The Trail Blazers are 6-0 against the spread in their last six games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600
  • DEN: The Nuggets are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 Monday games

Why the Nuggets can cover

Center Nikola Jokic and forward Michael Porter Jr. provide most of the scoring for the Nuggets, but forward Aaron Gordon has made a huge difference for the team since being acquired from Orlando in a deadline deal on March 25. Gordon scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Game 1 loss. For the season, he has been productive, averaging 10.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. In 11 career games against the Trail Blazers, Gordon has averaged 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds.

Jokic, who is getting serious consideration for an MVP Award, leads the Denver offense, averaging 26.4 points per game, including a 34-point effort on Saturday. Jokic has been dominant and averaged 29 points and 5.7 rebounds in three regular-season games against Portland. He played in all 72 regular-season games, scoring in double figures in each game. He recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists at Detroit on May 14, the 57th of his career.

Why the Blazers can cover

Despite that, Denver isn't a lock to cover the Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets spread. That's because Portland has been red hot, winning 10 of 12 games to close out the regular season. Point guard Damian Lillard has been on a roll of late. He scored 34 points in Game 1 on Saturday and had 41 at Phoenix on May 13. For the season, Lillard is averaging 28.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds, including 23 points and 9.3 assists in three games vs. Denver this year.

Also giving the Trail Blazers a boost is shooting guard CJ McCollum. McCollum has scored 20 or more points in each of the last seven games, including 21 on Saturday. In two regular-season games against Denver, he averaged 19 points, 5.5 rebounds and five assists. In the 2019 Western Conference semifinals against the Nuggets, he averaged 26.4 points on 45.5 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from 3-point range.

How to make Nuggets vs. Blazers picks

SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 229 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Blazers vs. Nuggets? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks.