The Denver Nuggets are set to host the Portland Trail Blazers in a Northwest Division matchup at Ball Arena on Friday. Denver is 33-16 overall and 19-4 at home, while Portland is 15-33 overall and 6-20 on the road. The Nuggets are coming off a 105-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder where they were without two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who was sidelined with a back injury. Portland has won two straight after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday. Jokic remains questionable and is joined by Jamal Murray (knee) on the Nuggets' injury report. Both players will be game-time decisions.
Tip-off is at 9 p.m. ET. The Nuggets are favored by 12 points in the latest Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers odds, and the over/under is 220.5 points.Before making any Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 15 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 48-30 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning over $1,700. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Nuggets vs. Blazers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for the game:
- Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers spread: Nuggets -12
- Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers over/under: 220.5 points
- Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers money line: Nuggets: -737, Trail Blazers: +513
- Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Nuggets
Last Wednesday, Denver was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 105-100 to the Thunder. The Nuggets got off to an early lead (up 13 with 2:43 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren't able to maintain that momentum. Denver was led by power forward Aaron Gordon who had 16 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists in the loss.
The Nuggets are undoubtedly hoping to have MVP front-runner Nikola Jokic available for this matchup. The 28-year-old center is having another stellar season, and leads the team in points per game (26.3), rebounds per game (12.1), and assists per game (9.0). Jokic enters this matchup with 14 triple-doubles this season. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Trail Blazers
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers made the experts look like fools on Wednesday, as the team pulled off a huge upset over the Milwaukee Bucks. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bucks and snuck past 119-116. Shooting guard Anfernee Simons led the way for the Blazers, scoring a team-high 24 points to go with five assists and three rebounds.
The Trail Blazers are 16-23 against the spread in their last 39 games after a day off, and 23-25 against the spread overall. Simons (22.9 ppg) and forward Jerami Grant (21.3 ppg) lead Portland in scoring. Center DeAndre Ayton averages a double-double for the Blazers at 13.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers picks
The model has simulated Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that hits in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Blazers vs. Nuggets, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 48-30 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
