Portland vs Denver Prediction: Will the visitors be able to impress the doubters and extend their winning streak?

Denver knocked Portland out of the playoffs the year before last, and since then, the confrontation between these teams has been particularly crucial. The bookmakers don't believe the Blazers will succeed despite their three straight regular-season wins. Will the visitors be able to impress the doubters and extend their winning streak?

Portland

The Blazers are one of the best defensive players in the NBA right now, and much of that is due to Josh Hart, Jerami Grant, Jusuf Nurkic, and Nassir Little. Damian Lillard looks organic in such a team, and there's a reason the club's management embarked on a rebuild in the middle of last season. Damian averages 34 points per game, but Anfernee Simons hasn't been as effective as he'd like. The young guard is hitting less than 40% of his shots from the field, and that's really damaging for the Blazers' No. 2 scorer. Jerami Grant would be more appropriate as a small forward, and Portland could use an undersized No. 4. The club's reserve for strengthening the back line is still with Gary Payton on injured reserve. Also, Trendon Watford remains out of the picture. Drew Eubanks'll replace him.

Chauncey Billups' team defeated the Lakers 106-104 at home in the last regular season game. The Blazers pulled out a very difficult end for the second consecutive game, with one of the key shots coming from Jerami Grant again. Portland tried to press their opponent in the paint, but Nurkic scored only 6 points in 30 minutes on the floor. Lillard was the game's hero, hitting 15 of his 25 shots from the field for a game-high 41 points.

Denver

The revamped Nuggets are slowly picking up speed, and after three regular season games, seven Denver players have scored an average of 10+ points. Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have fit in well for the team, working out on both halves of the court. Michael Porter Jr. has been more visible offensively than Jamal Murray so far, hitting 4 three-pointers per game and scoring 18 points each. Nikola Jokic has churned out triple-doubles now that a more capable teammate is around. The Serbian big man is averaging 10.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists in addition to his 24 points. Another positive aspect is the lack of losses/ All strong points should also play against Portland.

After losing to Utah in the opening game, Michael Malone's men rebounded quickly and took turns beating Golden State and Oklahoma. In the recent game against the Thunder, Denver made 20 of their 38 three-pointers, which was one of the keys to their success. In addition to Porter Jr. and Caldwell-Pope, veteran Jeff Green and rookie Christian Brown shot well from beyond the arc. Jokic led the way with a triple-double of 19 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 assists.

Expert Betting Tips

Portland played their last game less than 24 hours ago, and it is not certain that they will be strong enough to defend intensely again. The Blazers are good at the arc and perimeter, but they lacked power under the basket against LeBron and Davis, for example. Nikola Jokic should be a key option on the Denver end of the floor, and the Serb should be expected to play well. The Nuggets also have gaps on defense, which Simons or Grant will certainly exploit if the visitors focus all their attention on Lillard. Our prediction for the Portland vs Denver matchup is as follows: 

• Nikola Jokic Total Over 25.5 points for 1.80;
• Total Over 227.5 points for 2.00;
• Handicap 2 (-4.5) for 1.90.