Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, the Trail Blazers look much better today on their home court. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Nuggets 88-76.
The Trail Blazers entered the matchup with six straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it seven. Can they turn things around, or will the Nuggets hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
Denver Nuggets @ Portland Trail Blazers
Current Records: Denver 14-10, Portland 8-18
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter — Portland, Oregon
- TV: Altitude 2 Sports
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
What to Know
The Nuggets have gone 9-1 against the Trail Blazers recently and they’ll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Denver Nuggets will venture away from home to take on the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:00 p.m. ET at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers are crawling into this game hobbled by six consecutive losses, while the Nuggets will bounce in with three consecutive wins.
Last Monday, the Nuggets dodged a bullet and finished off the Kings 130-129.
The Nuggets’ win came from a few key players the Trail Blazers will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Nikola Jokic, who dropped a triple-double on 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists. His performance made up for a slower match against the Clippers on Friday. Russell Westbrook brought some help for the Nuggets off the bench as he almost dropped a triple-double on 18 points, nine rebounds, and ten assists.
The Nuggets were working as a unit and finished the game with 38 assists (they’re ranked first in assists per game overall). They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Kings only posted 28 assists.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers came up short against the Suns on Sunday and fell 116-109.
Denver’s record now sits at 14-10. As for Portland, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-18.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Nuggets haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 119.2 points per game (they’re ranked fifth in scoring overall). It’s a different story for the Trail Blazers, though, as they’ve been averaging only 106.9 points. The only thing between the Nuggets and another offensive beatdown is the Trail Blazers. Will they be able to keep them contained?
Going forward, the Nuggets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 8.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last three times they’ve played.
Odds
Denver is a big 8.5-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The over/under is 232.5 points.
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Series History
Denver has won 9 out of their last 10 games against Portland.
- Mar 23, 2024 – Denver 114 vs. Portland 111
- 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
