Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Analysis<\/h3>\n
The Denver Nuggets travel to Portland for the first of four head-to-head meetings with the Trail Blazers during the 2022-23 campaign. Denver won the season series 3-1 last season as Portland was without their superstar Damian Lillard.<\/p>\n
The Trail Blazers are off to a surprising 3-0 start and are playing the second game of a back-to-back after beating the Los Angeles Lakers 106-104 yesterday. The Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-117 at home on Saturday to improve to 2-1 on the season.<\/p>\n
Blazing Hot Start<\/h3>\n
“Dame Time” was in effect on Sunday as the returning superstar scored 41 points on 15-for-25 shooting from the field, including 6-for-13 from beyond the arc. Josh Hart also collected a game-high 16 rebounds while collecting nine points and five assists.<\/p>\n
Portland actually trailed by five points entering the fourth quarter before out-scoring the Lakers 28-21 and sealing the victory.<\/p>\n
The Blazers’ defense has been outstanding as they currently rank eighth in the league with a 104.2 defensive rating. They have kept a lid on tough opponents between the Suns and Lakers.<\/p>\n
The Trail Blazers will be without the services of Trendon Watford, Olivier Sarr and Gary Payton II as all deal with various injuries.<\/p>\n
Denver Needs Defensive Improvement<\/h3>\n
The Denver Nuggets look like a contender with reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic leading the way. He doesn’t have to do it himself this season as he is now surrounded by Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon.<\/p>\n
Porter Jr. was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points in their 122-117 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday. Jokic also had a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds.<\/p>\n
The Nuggets have been shooting the lights out with a 50.4 shooting percentage that ranks third in the league. However, they have been a mess defensively as they rank 25th with 121 points allowed per game on 47.5-percent shooting. This team does have a lot of new working parts so it could just be taking them time to gel on defense.<\/p>\n
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Prediction<\/h2>\n
With superstars like Damian Lillard and Nikola Jokic on the floor, there are many different directions we can look in this contest, however I’m looking at a team total in this one.<\/p>\n
We noted the Denver defensive struggles, allowing over 121 points a game through their first three contests. The Blazers’ team total is set at 110.5 points and they have cleared the total in two of three games with 115, 113 and 106 points scored.<\/p>\n
The Blazers have been playing solid defense but are playing their first back-to-back of the season which could cause defensive lapses. This seems like a perfect spot for “Dame Time” at home on NBA TV. I’m not expecting defense to be the priority, so let’s take a shot on the Blazers team total over 110.5 points.<\/p>\n
Prediction: Portland Trailblazers Team Total OVER 110.5 Points<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"NBA](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/fH4f-eE6QP0\/maxresdefault.jpg\")