The Denver Nuggets (35-25) visit the Portland Trail Blazers (25-35) Sunday. The fourth and final time they will meet in the regular season tips off from Moda Center at 9 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Nuggets picked up a 115-110 home win over the Sacramento Kings Saturday. They have won five games in a row and seven of their last eight. Denver is in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 3.5-game lead over the seventh-placed Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Blazers won four straight games before the All-Star break but snapped that win streak in a 132-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors Thursday. They cling to a 1-game lead over the New Orleans Pelicans for the 10th seed, the final spot to participate in the play-in games for the playoffs.
Nuggets at Trail Blazers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:48 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Nuggets -370 (bet $370 to win $100) | Trail Blazers +280 (bet $100 to win $280)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nuggets -7.5 (-112) | Trail Blazers +7.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 225.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Nuggets at Trail Blazers key injuries
Nuggets (not officially submitted)
- G Jamal Murray (knee) out
- F Zeke Nnaji (knee) questionable
- F Michael Porter Jr. (back) out
Trail Blazers
- G Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) out
- F Greg Brown III (illness) questionable
- G Joe Ingles (knee) out
- G Damian Lillard (core) out
- C Jusuf Nurkic (foot) out
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Nuggets at Trail Blazers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Nuggets 117, Trail Blazers 101
Money line
PASS on the money line.
The Blazers got hot before the All-Star Game but came back down to earth upon return. The Nuggets are playing great basketball right now and have won three straight games on the road.
I wouldn’t bet Portland after its performance Thursday against Golden State, and betting Denver doesn’t work because of the price. You don’t want to bet nearly four times your potential return.
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Against the spread
The Nuggets did not cover the spread Saturday against the Kings but have covered the spread in seven of their last 10 games.
Aside from the four wins before the All-Star Game, the Blazers have not covered the spread in their last 10 outings.
The Nuggets perform better against the spread on the road at 16-16-1 ATS, compared to 11-16 ATS at home, while the Blazers are 15-17-1 ATS at home.
Take the NUGGETS -7.5 (-112).
Over/Under
The Blazers won’t score much if they’re going to play as they did against the Warriors. They averaged 116 points per game in their four-game win streak but have scored 94.3 points per game, surpassing 100 only once, in six losses across their last 10 games.
The Nuggets are averaging 118.6 points per game in their last eight contests.
Portland won’t score enough to get them over the total.
Take UNDER 225.5 (-110).
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