Game Time: 9:10 PM ET, Sunday, February 27th, 2022 

Venue:  Moda Center, Portland Oregon

Where to Watch:  NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  Denver -8

BetMGM:  Spread:  

Yahoo:  Spread: Denver -8.5; O/U 230.5

WynnBet: Spread:  
Opening Lines Denver -7.5

Nuggets: 34-25, 6th place Western Conference

Trail Blazers:  25-35, 10th place Western Conference

A Western Conference battle of a team treading water with a life jacket and a team treading water without a life jacket.  The Life Jacket is C Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets… seemingly better than any player in the NBA he can get WINS on his own.  He doesn’t go out there alone, but he has little in the way of other star players, or high impact players to help him.  Any roster in the NBA would immediately gain Wins by adding Nikola.  To the detriment of his career legacy Nikola’s league MVP talent is being wasted in Denver.  It is not the fault of Denver’s front office… they have tried.  It is not the fault of Denver’s head coach… he has tried and is a pretty good coach.  It is solely the fault of the injury list.  The injury list in Denver swallowed up SG Jamal Murray for the season and PF Michael Porter Jr for possibly ever.  They were the team’s clear #2 and #3 options.  The #4 option in Denver is SF Aaron Gordon who came to the team from the Orlando Magic last season… AG has the requisite athleticism and blend of skills to be a quality NBA player… yet in his 8th season in the NBA has never contributed Wins anywhere he has played.  He doesn't do enough to have a real impact…. The one area he excels in is soaking up Salary Cap.  The result is Nikola Jokic Wins games on his own… or the Nuggets lose.  To be in 6th place is a remarkable outcome for the Nuggets.  Nikola’s agent should start the process of forcing a trade now in time for this off-season.  He can’t keep wasting time… a player’s time in the sun can go by quick… he deserves a complimentary team.  The Portland Trail Blazers have a similar player, PG Damian Lilliard.  Lilliard has left his best performances in Portland.  He has poured his heart and his skill into a team that can never quite get the roster right.  This season the trades came fast and furious as Portland shipped out SG CJ McCollum and SF Norman Powell who were the 2nd and 3rd highest paid guys on the roster and the 2nd and 3rd best scorers.  The team also threw in PF Robert Covington and scraps.  The big return on these trades are mostly disparate waivable pieces and an assortment of small money commitments and a couple of draft picks in both the first and second rounds.  The obvious goal for Portland is to try a quick complete rebuild.  Damian Lilliard has been sitting out with an ab injury… He may not return at all this season… He also may never again take the court as a Trail Blazer if he gets his choice this offseason.   

The Denver Nuggets have won 4 games in a row!  A full on streak!  That streak has brought their record over the last ten games to:  just 6 wins and 4 losses.  Nikola Jokic has been playing out of his mind… the result is 6 wins in ten tries.  His tough play has nabbed a 7-3 ATS record over the last ten games.  5 Overs, 4 Unders, and 1 Push.  The Nuggets do have some quality NBA role players to help Nikola… Guys like SG Will Barton, PF JaMychal Green, PF Jeff Green, shooter Bryn Forbes… but they don’t have anyone stepping up enough.  The result is Jokic leads the team in:  Points, Assists, Rebounds, steals, and Blocks… and FG%... and PER… and everything else.  It’s a one man show in Denver… a pretty good one at that.

The Portland Trail Blazers have won 4 of their last ten games.  With 4-6 ATS and yes the spread exactly matches the wins and losses. They went on a 4-game winning streak immediately following the trades of McCollum, Powell, and Covington.  Bench guys, new guys, deep on the roster guys were invigorated with all the available playing time and started really enjoying themselves.  They also are being led by young, mostly unknown, 2018 1st round (#24) pick 6’3 guard Anfernee Simons. He has raised his production to 17.1 ppg and 3.9 apg.  Things seemed to be going great with fantastic wins over the Bucks, the Grizzlies, the Knicks, and the Lakers!!  Wins against an assortment of average and wonderful teams!   Then the Golden State Warriors stomped on Portland’s neck 132-95.  The loss will bring this yard sale roster back down to earth.

Al McMordie SWEPT THE BOARD in the NBA last night with the Charlotte Hornets over Toronto, and the San Antonio Spurs over Washington. Big Al's 74-55 his last 129 in Basketball, and is firing on his NBA Game of the Week today. It's out of a 93-54 ATS angle, so don't miss this extremely strong play. Go get it!... Don’t miss out! Get Big Al’s picks!   You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

Denver is 34-25 on the season, but 27-21-1 ATS.  They have logged 32 Overs, 26 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 18-15 in road games.

Portland is 25-35 on the season, but 25-34-1 ATS.  They have notched 28 Overs, 30 Unders, and 2 Push. 

Our prediction for Sunday, February 27th is….  Denver 119 - Portland 108

Jokic will have no one able to stand up to him all night.  The remaining Nuggets will be facing a squad that they are actually better than.  The result will be another big loss for Portland.  The only Center on the Trail Blazers roster with even a chance against Jokic is Nurkic… and Nukic is out with injury.  Get ready to see what a Bull in a china shop actually looks like.  The Bet is Nuggets to win and cover. 

 I will also look at Jokic prop bets... to see if I can bet on Over and Under 30 points… I will bet Over.  Expect Jokic to drop 34, 12, 8.

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Denver is 36 Over and 23 Under when playing against a team with a losing record last 2 seasons.
Denver is 109-56 when playing a home underdog in February since 1996.
Denver is 78-35 as a road favorite after beating the spread .

Nuggets: C Demarcus Cousins (personal) Quest ** SG Jamal Murray (knee) Out ** Michael Porter Jr (back) Out

Trail Blazers: SF Joe Ingles Out ** C Jusuf Nurkic Out ** PG Eric Bledsoe Out ** SF Nassir Little Out ** PG Damian Lilliard Out 

Nuggets:  PF Jeff Green, SF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic, SG Will Barton, PG Anfernee Simons

Blazers: PF CJ Ellerby, SF Justise Winslow, C Drew Eubanks, PG Anfernee Simons, SG Josh Hart

Nuggets

Points: Nikola Jokic 26

Assists: Nikola Jokic 7.9

Rebounds: Nikola Jokic 13.8

Steals: Nikola Jokic 1.4

Blocks: Nikola Jokic 0.7

Blazers

Points: Damian Lilliard 24

Assists: Damian Lilliard 7.3

Rebounds: Jusuf Nurkic 11.1

Steals: Robert Covington 1.5

Blocks: Robert Covington 1.3 

Nuggets: Michael Malone

Trail Blazers: Chauncey Billups