Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Monday, April 6

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have won eight games in a row, and they could jump into the No. 3 spot in the West with a win on Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Now, the Blazers have a ton at stake on Monday as well, as they are in the No. 9 spot in the West and are looking to pass the Los Angeles Clippers to get into the top eight ahead of the play-in tournament. Portland has been on fire as of late, winning eight of 10 games (and three in a row) to move into a tie with Los Angeles.

Oddsmakers have set Denver as an 8.5-point favorite at home, as it dominated the last two matchups between these teams, including a 157-103 win earlier in the season.

The Nuggets are now 12 games over .500 at home, and they’ve looked much better since getting Aaron Gordon back in the lineup. However, Peyton Watson (hamstring) remains out of the lineup after aggravating his injury earlier this month.

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to consider and my prediction for this divisional battle on Monday night.

Knicks vs. Hawks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Blazers +8.5 (-118)
Nuggets -8.5 (-102)

Moneyline

Blazers: +260
Nuggets: -325

Total

237.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets How to Watch

Date: Monday, April 6
Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Ball Arena
How to Watch (TV): BlazerVision, Altitude
Blazers record: 40-38
Nuggets record: 50-28

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets Injury Reports

Blazers Injury Report

Damian Lillard – out
Vit Krejci – out
Shaedon Sharpe – out
Jerami Grant – out

Nuggets Injury Report

Peyton Watson – out
Spencer Jones – out
Zeke Nnaji – questionable
Bruce Brown – probable

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bets

Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bet

Nikola Jokic 11+ Assists (-143)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Jokic is a great prop target against Portland:

Nikola Jokic has a great matchup against the Blazers on Monday night, as the superstar center has torched them for 32-9-7 and 22-14-14 in his last two meetings with them.

Jokic has really come on as a passer with Denver getting healthier over the last month, averaging 11.7 assists per game since March 1 (18 games). He’s picked up at least 12 dimes in 12 of those games, giving him a really solid floor when it comes to this prop.

Portland is just 13th in opponent assists per game, and Jokic has opened this month with 12 dimes against Utah and 13 against a tough San Antonio defense.

I think he’s a great bet to clear his season average (10.9 assists per game) on Monday.

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets Prediction and Pick

After losing the first matchup with the Blazers this season, Denver has come back with back-to-back blowout wins. The Nuggets had a 54-point victory on Feb. 20, and they followed that up with a 16-point win back on March 22.

So, I’m loving Denver to win as a home favorite on Monday.

The Nuggets are winners of eight in a row, and with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves going down, Denver has a real shot at the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Denver is rolling now that it is healthy, and the Blazers (ninth in the West) have some clear flaws heading into the play-in tournament.

Portland is just 20th in the NBA in net rating this season, and it has a shaky 15-31 record against teams that are .500 or better. On top of that, the Blazers are just 10-12 against the spread as road underdogs, posting an average scoring margin of -10.5 points in those games.

Denver is simply too good at full strength this season to pass up at this price.

Pick: Nuggets -8.5 (-102 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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