3rd Quarter Report
The Nuggets are on the road but looking no worse for wear. A victory is still up for grabs for either team after three quarters, but the Nuggets are up 85-83 over the Trail Blazers.
If the Nuggets keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 50-21 in no time. On the other hand, the Trail Blazers will have to make due with a 19-52 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Denver Nuggets @ Portland Trail Blazers
Current Records: Denver 49-21, Portland 19-51
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter — Portland, Oregon
- TV: Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $18.34
What to Know
The Nuggets will be playing the full four quarters on Saturday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They will head out on the road to square off against the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:00 p.m. ET at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on the Nuggets, who come in off a win.
The defenses reigned supreme when the Nuggets and the Knicks played on Thursday, rewarding bettors who took the risk on the low 208.5-point over/under. Denver came out on top against the Knicks by a score of 113-100. The win made it back-to-back wins for the Nuggets.
Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic were among the main playmakers for the Nuggets as the former scored 31 points along with eight rebounds and the latter dropped a triple-double on 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Porter Jr. continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight defeat. They fell 125-117 to Los Angeles. The Trail Blazers have not had much luck with the Clippers recently, as the team’s come up short the last eight times they’ve met.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from Scoot Henderson, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten assists. He is trending in the right direction, as he’s improved his point production for three games straight.
Denver has been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 49-21 record this season. As for Portland, their loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 19-51.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Nuggets just can’t miss this season, having made 49.7% of their shots per game (they’re ranked fourth in field goal percentage overall). It’s a different story for the Trail Blazers, though, as they’ve only made 44.4% of their shots this season. Given the Nuggets’ sizable advantage in that area, the Trail Blazers will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Nuggets strolled past the Trail Blazers in their previous matchup back in February by a score of 127-112. Do the Nuggets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trail Blazers turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Denver is a big 13-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 13.5-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 212 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Denver has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Portland.
- Feb 23, 2024 – Denver 127 vs. Portland 112
- Feb 04, 2024 – Denver 112 vs. Portland 103
- Feb 02, 2024 – Denver 120 vs. Portland 108
- Jan 17, 2023 – Denver 122 vs. Portland 113
- Dec 23, 2022 – Denver 120 vs. Portland 107
- Dec 08, 2022 – Denver 121 vs. Portland 120
- Oct 24, 2022 – Portland 135 vs. Denver 110
- Feb 27, 2022 – Denver 124 vs. Portland 92
- Jan 13, 2022 – Denver 140 vs. Portland 108
- Nov 23, 2021 – Portland 119 vs. Denver 100
