Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Betting Pick & Prediction 12/19/24

At 10:00 ET, the Denver Nuggets (-395) will travel to take on the Portland Trail Blazers (+309) in a Western Northwest division matchup. The Nuggets are favored by 9 points and have won three straight games. The Blazers have lost six in a row and are 13th in the Western Conference.

This game will be played at the Moda Center in Portland and can be seen on KATU.

DENVER NUGGETS VS PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Portland Trail Blazers +9

This game will be played at Moda Center at 10:00 ET on Thursday, December 19th.

WHY BET THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 160-120 in favor of the Trail Blazers.
  • Our projections have Anfernee Simons finishing with 20 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.
  • From the field, we have the Trail Blazers finishing with a field goal percentage of 45.9% and knocking down 15 threes.

Can The Nuggets Secure a Road Victory?

The Nuggets improved to 14-10 on the season with a 130-129 win over the Kings on Monday. Denver, who were +1 point underdogs, covered the spread with the victory. The game’s total of 259 points went over the pre-game line of 237.5.

Denver opened the game with a 13-0 run, taking the score from 14-6 to 19-14. They led 41-21 after the 1st quarter, but the Kings stormed back, outscoring the Nuggets 82-55 over the next two quarters. Denver entered the 4th quarter trailing 103-96 but rallied to outscore the Kings 34-26 in the final period.

Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 28 points and 6 assists in their win over the Kings, hitting 4 threes at a 50% rate. Aaron Gordon added 24 points, shooting 64.3% from the field, while Nikola Jokic contributed a 20-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist triple-double.

Denver shot 50% from the field and 35.7% from three, making 10 threes in the game. Murray scored 15 points in the 4th quarter, while Gordon added 14 points in the 1st quarter.

Despite a rough 2nd quarter where they allowed 47 points, the Nuggets managed to hold the Kings to 26 points in the 4th, helping them secure a 130-129 win. Denver’s defense allowed Sacramento to shoot 48% from the field.

The Nuggets did a decent job defending the three, with the Kings hitting 12 threes at a 34% clip. Denver also recorded 9 steals and 4 blocks in the game.

Will the Trail Blazers Find a Way to Win at Home?

Portland fell to 8-18 on the season after a 116-109 road loss to the Suns on Sunday. The Trail Blazers were +11 point underdogs but managed to cover the spread. The game’s total of 225 points fell short of the 230.5 O/U line.

Portland went on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit from 37-27 to 47-27. They outscored Phoenix 30-24 in the 2nd quarter and 28-26 in the 3rd, but a 33-30 4th quarter in favor of the Suns sealed the game.

Anfernee Simons led the Trail Blazers with 20 points and 5 assists in their 116-109 loss to the Suns, scoring 10 points in the 4th quarter. Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant each added 17 points, with Avdija shooting 66.7% from the field and hitting 3 threes at a 60% clip.

Portland made 15 threes in the game, shooting 30.6% from beyond the arc and 44.7% overall. Grant and Simons each hit 4 threes, with Simons shooting 40% from deep.

Defensively, the Trail Blazers struggled in the 1st and 4th quarters, giving up 33 points in each, which contributed to their 116-109 loss to the Suns. Despite a solid 2nd quarter where they allowed just 24 points, Portland couldn’t contain Phoenix, who shot 48% from the field.

Portland also had trouble defending the three, as the Suns hit 15 threes at a 38% clip. The Blazers sent Phoenix to the line 19 times, where they made 15 free throws. Portland finished with 36 defensive rebounds, allowing 12 offensive boards, while adding 6 steals and 4 blocks.