Northwest Division foes will lock horns when the Denver Nuggets (12-22) face off against the Portland Trail Blazers (14-21) at the Pepsi Center. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 3 and can be seen on ALT and CNW.
The Nuggets are hoping for a better outcome after their 111-108 loss to the Warriors on Saturday. Danilo Gallinari was the team’s leading scorer with 24 points. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 109-96 loss against the Jazz on Thursday. C.J. McCollum had a game-high 32 points.
Will Barton has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Nuggets. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers. McCollum has been hot for the Trail Blazers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 26.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Trail Blazers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 110-103 win. In the loss, Barton led all scorers on the team with 31 points.
The Nuggets have gone 12-21 Straight Up (SU) and 14-16-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-6 SU and 4-5 ATS against divisional opponents.
As for their opponent, the Trail Blazers have 14-21 SU and 18-17 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Portland has a 4-3 SU and ATS record. The Trail Blazers rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking third in the league with 347 made (9.0 per game).
In their previous meeting this season, Portland beat Denver, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Por
Notes
Denver is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Denver’s last 12 games.
Denver is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Denver is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Denver is 2-6-2 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Denver’s last 6 games when playing Portland.
Denver is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing Portland.
Denver is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Portland.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Denver’s last 7 games when playing at home against Portland.
Denver is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games when playing at home against Portland.
Denver scores an average of 99.2 points per game (ranked 22nd), while Portland allows 102.2 points per game (ranked 19th).
Denver ranks 23rd in points per home game with 98.9 points, while Portland ranks 17th in points allowed on the road with 102.7.
When Denver gives up fewer than 100 points, the team has a subpar 4-9 record this season. Portland also has an abysmal record when it scores fewer than 100 (1-12).
At 8-13, the Denver Nuggets have a poor record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Portland Trail Blazers are 13-9 when they put up triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 105.6 (ranked 23rd). The Nuggets rank 21st for their offensive rating of 101.6.
With 97.6 possessions and 1.016 points per possession, the Denver Nuggets perform worse on both metrics than the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland averages 97.6 possessions and 1.036 points per possession.
The Denver Nuggets average an effective field goal percentage of 48.3% this season. The Portland Trail Blazers have an underachieving record of 6-12 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.3% or greater.
The Denver Nuggets average 24.0 three point attempts per game, while the Portland Trail Blazers attempt 27.0 per game. When attempting 25 or more three pointers in a game, Denver is a losing 7-11, while Portland is an even 12-12.
The Denver Nuggets, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.56, rank 14th in the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers have a lower A/TO (1.39), ranking 23rd.
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 46.0 rebounds per game (ranked fifth). The Denver Nuggets rank 11th, rebounding 44.5 times each contest.
The Portland Trail Blazers rank fourth in offensive rebounding, while the Denver Nuggets rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
Portland has forced an average turnover percentage of 12.1% this season. Denver has an underachieving 10-16 record when its TOV% is 12.1% or higher.
