How to Watch Nuggets-Blazers Game On Thursday
The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers have always been rivals with one another and over the last few years, this rivalry has gained more steam with both teams being in the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.
On Tuesday night, they will meet for the second time this season, as the Nuggets will be looking to avenge an early season loss to Portland they suffered back in October.
While they currently find themselves as the 4-seed in the West, the Nuggets have been struggling as of late, as they have dropped three straight games, two of which were on the road.
Back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic has once again been great, but he has not looked like his MVP-self as of late. With added depth on this roster though, Denver has proven that they are one of the better teams in the league once more.
With Damian Lillard being in and out of the lineup due to injuries this season, the Trail Blazers have struggled to find overall consistency, yet they are currently 13-11 and find themselves very much in the playoff discussion right now.
Anfernee Simons has grown into an All-Star-like talent for this team, Jerami Grant has filled a key void on the wing at both forward positions, Josh Hart has proven to be the ultimate “glue guy” for this franchise and the improvements this team has made defensively compared to last season is impressive.
Head coach Chauncey Billups fully believes that his team can be special and with a leader like Damian Lillard in the backcourt, the Trail Blazers are very much a team that should not be slept on in the Western Conference.
Will Denver get back on track in Portland with a win or will the Trail Blazers win their third consecutive game?
Here is how to watch Thursday night’s game with game time and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers
- WHO: Denver Nuggets (14-10) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (13-11)
- WHEN: 10:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, December 8, 2022
- WHERE: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
- TV: NBA TV
- Stream: Fubo.tv CLICK HERE
Key Stats & Facts For Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers
- The Denver Nuggets are coming off of a 116-115 loss at home against the Dallas Mavericks.
- The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off of a 116-100 win at home against the Indiana Pacers.
- The Nuggets are 8-7 on the road this season and the Trail Blazers are 5-5 at home.
- The Trail Blazers are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league this season, as they are shooting 38.3 percent from deep as a team, the fourth-best percentage in the NBA.
- Portland already defeated Denver 135-110 in the first game of this season's series on October 24.
Last Matchup:
October 24, 2022 - Trail Blazers 135, Nuggets 110
Behind Damian Lillard’s 31 points and Anfernee Simons’ 29 points, the Trail Blazers cruised past the Nuggets in these team’s first meeting of the 2022-23 season. Portland ended up outscoring Denver by 12 points from the perimeter and they also outscored them by 15 points from the free-throw line. For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic struggled with just 9 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, as Aaron Gordon was their leading scorer with 26 points on 12-16 shooting.
Latest Injury News:
Nuggets: Collin Gillespie (leg) - OUT, Michael Porter Jr. (heel) - OUT, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (wrist) - PROBABLE
Trail Blazers: Gary Payton II (conditioning) - OUT, Nassir Little (hip) - OUT, Keon Johnson (hip) - PROBABLE, Drew Eubanks (hip) - PROBABLE, Josh Hart (ankle) - PROBABLE
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED NUGGETS STARTERS:
- G Jamal Murray, 6-3 guard: 17.6 points, 5.0 assists
- G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (P), 6-5 guard: 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds
- G/F Bruce Brown, 6-4 guard/forward: 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists
- F Aaron Gordon, 6-8 forward: 16.6 points, 6.7 rebounds
- C Nikola Jokic, 6-11 center: 23.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists
PROJECTED TRAIL BLAZERS STARTERS:
- G Damian Lillard, 6-2 guard: 25.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists
- G Anfernee Simons, 6-3 guard: 24.7 points, 4.5 assists
- G/F Josh Hart (P), 6-5 guard/forward: 9.6 points, 8.5 rebounds
- F Jerami Grant, 6-8 forward: 23.0 points, 4.1 rebounds
- C Jusuf Nurkic, 6-11 center: 14.5 points, 10.0 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Trail Blazers are currently 1-point favorites over the Trail Blazers as of Thursday afternoon, according to SI Sportsbook.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 227.5 total points.
What to watch for:
- The Nuggets currently rank 5th in the league in offensive rating and 26th in the league in defensive rating.
- The Trail Blazers currently rank 12th in the league in offensive rating and 24th in the league in defensive rating.
- Portland is 102-90 all-time against Denver.
- The Nuggets are currently averaging 114.8 points per game this season, 11th in the NBA, and the Trail Blazers are only allowing an average of 111.0 points per game to their opponents, 11th in the NBA.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
