Nuggets vs. Blazers Game 4 Prediction
The Nuggets and Trail Blazers have cashed the over in previous games but will that be the case in Game 4 on Saturday afternoon? Tip-off from Portland is set for 4:00 p.m. ET.
Game Snapshot
573 Denver Nuggets (+4) at 574 Portland Trail Blazers (-4); o/u 227.5
4:00 p.m. ET, Friday, May 28, 2021
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR
TV: TNT
Denver Nuggets DFS Notes
Nikola Jokic went for 36 points on 12-of-24 shooting (4-7 3PT), 11 rebounds, five assists and two turnovers in Thursday’s 120-115 victory over Portland. Thursday night marked Jokic’s 3rd straight 30-point game this postseason and the 11th 30-point postseason game of his career. Jokic is now averaging 36.0 points per game on 57.7% shooting from the floor, 50% from three, and 94.4% shooting from the foul line in the series. Even though the MVP is a regular season award, Jokic is leaving no doubt that he deserves the award this season, and he will try to keep up the hot shooting on Saturday when the Nuggets attempt to take a commanding 3-1 lead over The Blazers.
Portland Trail Blazers DFS Notes
Damian Lillard scored 37 points on 15-of-31 shooting (5-16 3PT), five assists, two rebounds, and two steals in Thursday night’s loss to Denver. After Thursday night’s loss, Portland coach Terry Stotts stressed the importance that they “make shots.” It sounds cliche, but for a Blazer team that shot 31.1% from three on the night, that is the crux of the problem. The Blazers also could have guarded the 3pt line better as Denver knocked down 20 triples at a 52.6% rate, including five from Austin Rivers. Coach Stotts also mentioned having to adjust some of the coverages on Nikola Jokic when he gets the ball in post isolation situations. Portland tried to throw doubles at him at times on Thursday and he was picking them apart passing out of them. From a scoring standpoint, there is not much more Lillard can do, but he will need some help from his supporting cast in Saturday’s Game 4.
Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Playoffs Prediction
The over has cashed in seven of the last nine meetings between these two teams in Portland and is 4-0 in the last four meetings overall. On the other side, the over is 4-0 in the last four games overall, is 6-1 in their last seven conference quarterfinals games and is 4-0 in their last four games as an underdog. The over is also 4-0 in the Trail Blazers’ last four games overall and is 5-0 in their last five conference quarterfinals games.
NBA PLAYOFFS PREDICTION: NUGGETS/TRAIL BLAZERS 227.5