A Northwest Division battle is on tap for Monday night when Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers (3-0) host two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets (2-1) at the Moda Center in Portland. The Nuggets are coming off back-to-back wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, while the Trail Blazers 3-0 start includes impressive wins over the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Portland leads the all-time series 101-90.
Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET in Portland. Caesars Sportsbook lists Denver as 5-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 226 in the latest Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers odds. Before making any Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
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 four seasons. The model went a stunning 91-63 on all top-rated NBA picks last season, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nuggets vs. Warriors and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Warriors vs. Nuggets:
- Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers spread: Nuggets -5
- Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers over/under: 226 points
- Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers money line: Trail Blazers +170, Nuggets -205
- Nuggets vs. Warriors picks: See picks here
Why the Trail Blazers can cover
Portland is off to a perfect start to the season because of the play of All-Star point guard Damian Lillard. The 32-year-old has been playing at an incredibly high level for the Trail Blazers in their first three games of the 2022-23 season, averaging 34.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Lillard has had some outstanding games against Denver throughout his illustrious career, with per game averages of 22.9 points, 7.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 33 games versus the Nuggets.
The Trail Blazers have also benefited from the play of shooting guard Josh Hart and Center Jusuf Nurkic, who are both averaging double-doubles early in the season. Hart is averaging 12.7 points and 10.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists, while Nurkic is averaging 11.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.
Why the Nuggets can cover
Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has picked up right where he left off last season. The 27-year-old Serbian enters this matchup coming off back-to-back triple-doubles, and is averaging 24.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game in 2022-23. In his last outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jokic scored 19 points, pulled down 16 rebounds, and dished out 13 assists in the win. Jokic will be a significant matchup advantage for Denver in this game.
Outside of Jokic, the Nuggets have six additional players averaging double figures in scoring through three games. Michael Porter Jr. (18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds), Aaron Gordon (14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds), and Jamal Murray (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) give Denver one of the better supporting casts in the NBA.
How to make Nuggets vs. Warriors picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the point total. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations. You can only see the model's NBA picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers And which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Blazers vs. Nuggets spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
