The Portland Trail Blazers snapped out of their first losing skid of the playoffs, dropping games four and five, and picked up a 119-108 Game 6 victory to force a Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets haven’t made a Western Conference Final appearance since 2009, but the Blazers haven’t been since 2000. Denver is a 5.5-point favorite with the total Sportsbook at 213 points.
Standout Stats
- Portland is 7-4 SU and 5-6 ATS in its 11 playoff games. In the second round, the Blazers are 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS and they are 2-3 SU and ATS in its five road games.
- Denver is 7-6 SU and ATS through its 13 playoff games. The Nuggets are also 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS at the Pepsi Center.
- The total has gone OVER in nine of the Nuggets’ 13 playoff games with an average combined score of 217.23. Meanwhile, the total has gone OVER in seven of Portland’s 11 postseason contests with an average combined score of 222.36. The total has gone OVER in five of the first six games in this series with an average combined score of 227.5.
- Denver has averaged the most points per game in the conference semifinals, chipping in 116 ppg, while Portland sits in third with 113.2 ppg. From long range, the Nuggets have knocked down 35.4 percent of their shots in this series, slightly better than Portland’s 34.8 three-point percentage.
- Nikola Jokic has been dominant on the glass and his Nuggets average 51.5 boards per game in the second round, leading the NBA. The Blazers are averaging 46.3 rebounds per game ranking fourth in the semifinal.
- Portland’s backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have a combined ppg average of 51.9. Meanwhile, Denver’s young stars of Jokic and Jamal Murray are hanging tough with a combined average of 51.5 ppg.
- Denver has been dominant around the rim, averaging 51.3 points in the paint per game which leads the second round.
- Both teams have done a good job maintaining ball possession with the Nuggets averaging 11.3 turnovers per game and the Trail Blazers committing 12 giveaways per game.
- Denver and Portland rank first and second in field-goal attempts per game in the conference semifinals.
My Best Bet for Portland vs Denver
OVER 213
The total has gone over in five of the six games thus far in the series with the lone UNDER also being the only game that went UNDER 213 points. These teams rank in the top two in shots per game and have a lot of space to execute their offense in different ways. The Trail Blazers use their guards to set up a lot of their offense, while the Nuggets can attack from outside or dish the ball inside to Jokic for points. I anticipate an exciting fast-paced Game 7 that should soar OVER.
