With just this game before All-Star Weekend, the Denver Nuggets are hoping to continue their winning ways as they host the Portland Trail Blazers for the second consecutive game. The Nuggets have won seven in a row, including last game against these same Trail Blazers, and are looking to make it eight as they’re about to hit the All Star Break. The Nuggets don’t play again for 8 days, so if they’re looking to go into that mid-season vacation on a high note even with a short-handed roster, they can certainly do that tonight. The Trail Blazers are even more beat up than the Nuggets, and added both Deandre Ayton and Scoot Henderson to the list of the missing after both were injured last game. Denver has to thread the needle between getting the win and not risking the health of any of their key players to do so. With both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray having fewer-than-usual minutes last game – Jokic because he sat the whole fourth quarter with a huge lead, Murray because he got thrown out of the game after his second technical in his 29th minute – the Nuggets should have the arsenal to throw at Portland to take home another win without needing to grind their players to dust in the process.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (35-19) vs Portland Trail Blazers (23-31)
When: 7PM MST
Where: The Can. Denver, CO.
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV (now on Comcast!), Altitude+, NBA League Pass for those not in the Nuggets market, Altitude Radio 92.5FM.
Rival blog: Blazer’s Edge
Injury report: Aaron Gordon – probable (calf), Jamal Murray – probable (knee), Michael Porter Jr. – questionable (hamstring), Russell Westbrook – out (hamstring), Peyton Watson – out (knee), Vlatko Cancar – out (knee), DaRon Holmes II – out (achilles); Jerami Grant – questionable (knee), Robert Williams III – questionable (knee), Kris Murray – questionable (quad), Deandre Ayton – out (calf), Scoot Henderson – out (ankle), Matisse Thybulle – out (ankle), Justin Minaya – out (G-League).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Vacation doesn’t start until tomorrow, fellas
Yes, the Nuggets have beaten the Trail Blazers 15 times in a row in the regular season. Yes, Portland is battered and missing more players than Denver, while also having an incongruous mix of vets and kids that makes their roster cohesion suspect. Yes, without Ayton they will be relying on big minutes from rookie Donovan Clingan against the same MVP center that just put up 40 points in 3 quarters against the Blazers in a 146-117 shellacking. But just last year Denver staggered into the break losing to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Sacramento Kings in lackluster fashion. Denver needs to hold off on “1-2-3 Cancun” until the final buzzer sounds with Denver in front, because the standings in the West look like they’re going to be close the rest of the way and the Nuggets have a brutal schedule coming back from the Break. Every win counts, which means getting the victories they’re supposed to get now can only help.
The thing to remember: Denver’s deeper bench is getting a chance to shine
Jalen Pickett set a career-high with 14 points in Monday’s win, to go with 9 assists and zero turnovers. He’s been taking care of the ball, creating for his teammates, making open shots and using that 6’7 wingspan to affect passing lanes. And sometimes he even has a bit of fun, like this:
These are the sorts of performances the Nuggets have been desperate to see from players who may not be in the playoff rotation but who are needed to get them through the regular season without destroying Denver’s best performers. In Peyton Watson’s absence, Zeke Nnaji has also stepped up with good defense to go with some improved finishing (ignore the open-court lack of a handle) and better rebounding. He had 11 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes against Portland on Monday, and in fact the only game in which he had fewer than 5 rebounds since Watson got injured he had 5 blocks. The impact has been there. It’s no surprise that Denver has been able to sit Jokic for so many fourth quarters recently – the bench is keeping pace in the non-Jokic minutes and has not needed MVP heroics to save them. They are saving themselves. This game should give them another opportunity to work on their chemistry together as they look to provide rest for the starters the remainder of the season as well as more chances to impress for themselves and earn bigger roles. Julian Strawther, Jalen Pickett and Zeke Nnaji can make a huge difference the rest of this season with consistent play, but the only way to get the time to make the impact is to actually provide that consistency every time they step on the court. Next chance is tonight.
The thing to bet: Jamal Murray over 22.5 points (-110)
Look, I don’t really care what the number is. Murray got thrown out against this exact team as some of the young Portland guys were jawing at Jamal and he fired back. As a competitor, I fully expect him to come out locked and loaded for this game, with 20+ shots on the menu. And you know Jokic is happy to feed him if he gets hot early. Whatever the number winds up being by game time, just bet the over. These are the sorts of games that hungry players engage in during otherwise low-stakes games, and I expect Mal to set himself up a feast.
