Despite all of the problems that have tripped up the Portland Trail Blazers at times this season, 17 games in they sit in a three-way tie for sixth in the Western Conference and would take over sole possession of that spot with a win Tuesday night against Denver.
The Blazers (9-8) have been bad on the road (1-7) this season, Damian Lillard got off to a horrendous start and the defense has all too often appeared to be out of sorts.
Yet, here the Blazers sit right in the thick of things in the deep West tied with the Nuggets (9-8) and Memphis (9-8) for sixth.
The Blazers have already defeated the Grizzles this season but were handled by Denver quite easily on Nov. 14 by the score of 124-95 on the road.
The Blazers have won three consecutive games since then while Denver has lost four straight. Two of its losses came without Nikola Jokic (right wrist), who is questionable for Tuesday’s game.
The Nuggets remain without guard Jamal Murray (knee) and forward Michael Porter Jr. (back). Should they not have Jokic on Tuesday, the Blazers would have zero excuses to not extend their winning streak to four games.
Denver has lost its last four games by an average of 14.8 points while scoring just 98.8 points per game. This had already been a down year for Denver offensively. The Nuggets rank 21st in offensive rating (106) and 24th in points per game (102.6). They’ve struggled at the three-point line, shooting 31.6% on threes (27th).
That wasn’t the case against Portland when the Nuggets shot 47.5% on threes (19 of 4) while blowing out the Blazers.
That performance caused Portland coach Chauncey Billups to publicly state that he would consider lineup changes should poor efforts continue. Since then, the Blazers have won three straight games with no changes to the starting lineup. But the rotation has been tweaked to allow for situational matchups that favor the Blazers.
Even if Jokic plays, the Blazers should do a much better job against the Nuggets’ offense at home where they have a 105.4 defensive rating.
Furthermore, Lillard did not appear in the defeat at Denver. He sat out to allow his abdominal injury to rest. Since doing so, he has been playing his best basketball of the season and was just named Western Conference player of the week.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS VS. DENVER NUGGETS
What: Trail Blazers (9-8) vs. Nuggets (9-8), 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Moda Center.
Radio: Rip City Radio (KPOJ 620 AM).
TV channel: TNT (in Portland: Comcast 754/54, DirecTV 245).
How to watch live stream online: You can watch the game live for FREE with Hulu + Live (free trial). You can also get this game on Sling TV (promotional offers) if you are out of free trials, or simply prefer that platform and their pricing plans. You can also watch this match live on Watch TNT with your cable or satellite provider login.
ODDS
Moneyline: POR -260 | DEN +210
Spread: POR -6.5 | Over/Under: 210.5
INJURIES
Blazers: No injuries to report.
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic (right wrist; sprain) is questionable; Bones Hyland (right ankle; sprain), Jamal Murray (left knee; injury recovery), Zeke Nnaji (right ankle; sprain) and Michael Porter Jr. (low back; pain) are out.
NEXT UP
The Blazers begin a three-game trip Wednesday at Sacramento (6-11) before playing Friday at Golden State (15-2) and then Monday at Utah (11-5). The Blazers then return home to host Detroit (4-12) on Dec. 30.
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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