- 1 Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers: two days of rest for Denver, no Morant or Sharpe for Portland
- 2 Denver Nuggets: Murray at 22.5, Braun’s 31 and Jokic at 9.0 assists
- 3 Portland Trail Blazers: Avdija at 22.8 and 6.5 assists, with the backcourt thinned out
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers: two days of rest for Denver, no Morant or Sharpe for Portland 
Portland beat the Lakers 136-129 at Crypto.com Arena on 27 October and went to 3-0. Two nights later Memphis won 124-103 at the Moda Center, outscored the Trail Blazers 66-45 in the second half and outrebounded them by nine.
The cost of that game went beyond the score. Ja Morant left in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring strain and is listed out, joining Shaedon Sharpe, who is out after surgery on his right knee. Robert Williams III is day-to-day with a knee problem.
Denver hosts Portland at Ball Arena on Monday 2 November, tip-off 9:00pm ET. The Nuggets are 3-2 after Friday’s 127-120 win in Phoenix, where Jamal Murray scored 39 and Christian Braun 31, and they’ve won two in a row.
The calendar favors Denver. The Nuggets have Saturday and Sunday off. Portland plays in Salt Lake City at 3:00pm ET on Saturday and arrives in Denver with one free day to deal with altitude and a shortened guard rotation.
Both teams have scored freely. Portland averages 122.8 points per game and Denver 110.8, but the Nuggets’ number is dragged down by an 84-point opener in Oklahoma City. In their four games since, they’ve scored 141, 114, 104 and 127.
Denver’s own absences are smaller. Alpha Diallo is out for personal reasons, and Spencer Jones (hamstring) and Julian Strawther (knee) are also unavailable. Cameron Johnson, who had been questionable, started in Phoenix and grabbed nine rebounds.
Denver Nuggets: Murray at 22.5, Braun’s 31 and Jokic at 9.0 assists 
Jamal Murray averages 22.5 points per game, and he came into Friday making 47.8% of his threes. He scored 42 in the overtime win over New Orleans and 39 in Phoenix.
Braun added 31 on Friday, and his scoring alongside Murray took pressure off Nikola Jokic, who finished with 18 points and 10 assists.
Jokic is averaging 9.0 assists and 10.5 rebounds, and his own shot hasn’t fallen. Before Friday he was at 41.7% from the field and 21.7% from three, and Denver has still won three of five.
The bench adds scoring through DeMar DeRozan, who has averaged 15.3 points as a reserve. Aaron Gordon scored 15 in Phoenix, and the Nuggets average 10.0 steals per game, a useful figure against a Portland team without two of its ball-handlers.
Defense has been uneven. Denver allows 115.2 points per game, Golden State scored 134 at Ball Arena on 26 October, and New Orleans put up 135 in overtime two days earlier. The 91 allowed in New Orleans on Wednesday is the best defensive game the Nuggets have played.
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Portland Trail Blazers: Avdija at 22.8 and 6.5 assists, with the backcourt thinned out 
Deni Avdija leads Portland in points and assists, at 22.8 and 6.5 per game. He had 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against Memphis, and with Morant out, more of the ball-handling falls on him and Damian Lillard.
The Trail Blazers’ first three wins were emphatic. They beat Phoenix 124-83 on opening night, won 128-120 in Sacramento and then scored 136 against the Lakers. They’re averaging 28.8 assists per game.
Donovan Clingan anchors the defense at 9.0 rebounds per game, and Portland has allowed 114.0 points per game. That figure was 110.7 before Memphis, which shows how much the second half on Thursday hurt.
The Memphis game also exposed the depth. Portland committed 16 turnovers and was outrebounded by nine, and behind Avdija and Morant the next best scorers were Toumani Camara with 13 and Clingan with 11.
Saturday’s game in Utah is a 3:00pm ET start, and Portland was a 6.5-point favorite there. A win would restore some confidence, but it means two games in three days before the trip to altitude, with a guard rotation missing Morant and Sharpe.
Probable lineup Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Probable lineup Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, guard to be confirmed (Ja Morant out), Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan
Free NBA Prediction: Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers
Our prediction: Denver Nuggets to win
No Monday line had been posted at the time of writing. We’d back Denver to win at any price of 1.45 or above.
Denver has two days of rest, Portland has one after an afternoon game in Utah, and the game is played at altitude. Those conditions tilt a close matchup, and the Trail Blazers’ injury list removes Morant and Sharpe from the backcourt.
Portland’s offense is real, and we’ve accounted for 122.8 points a game. But Murray and Braun combined for 70 on Friday, Jokic’s 21.7% from three has room to rise, and Denver’s 10.0 steals a night meet a Portland team that just turned it over 16 times.
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