Portland Blazers at Denver Nuggets Expert Game 7 Picks 5/12/2019

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Pepsi Center

Get todays NBA odds and lines on this game.

The Portland Blazers head to Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets on Sunday in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Portland tied the series on Thursday night with a 119-108 win. Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 32 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. The opening line for Game 7 has Denver as 5 point favorites at home.

The Blazers (53-29, 2nd in the Northwest Division) cover 54% of the time, going 50-42-1 this season. The Nuggets (54-28, 1st in the Northwest Division) have an ATS mark of 49-46-0, so they cover 52% of the time. As the favorite, Denver covers the spread 52% of the time, while Portland covered 43% of the time as the underdog this season. The Nuggets have been outstanding for NBA bettors at home, going 29-19-0 against the spread.

Valuable Portland Blazers Betting Trends

The Portland Blazers are 50-43-0 against the spread this season

The Portland Blazers are 50-42-0 against the over/under this year

Important Denver Nuggets Betting Trends

The Denver Nuggets are 49-46-0 against the spread this season

The Denver Nuggets are 44-51-0 against the over/under this year

Key Portland Blazers Injuries

03/26/19 C Jusuf Nurkic Ankle is out for season

Key Denver Nuggets Injuries

No key injuries to report

Player Spotlight

CJ McCollum comes into this game averaging 21.0 points per contest while playing 33.9 minutes per night this year. He grabs 4.0 rebounds per contest and distributes 3.0 assists per game. His FG percentage is 46% while his free throw percentage is 83%. Damian Lillard averages 25.8 points per contest in 35.5 minutes per game. He averages 6.9 assists per game and 4.6 rebounds per contest. His field goal percentage is 44% for the season while his free throw percentage is 91%.

Player Spotlight

Nikola Jokic scores 20.1 points per contest while playing 31.3 minutes per game. He hauls in 10.8 rebounds per contest and has 7.3 assists per game on the season. His FG percentage is 51% and his free throw percentage is at 82%. Paul Millsap averages 12.6 points per game this year and he sees the court an average of 27.1 minutes per game. He also brings in 7.2 rebounds per game and has 2.0 assists per contest. His field goal percentage is 48% and his free throw percentage is 73%.

Useful Team Statistics

Portland averages 114.7 points per contest, which is 6th in the league. Their average scoring margin is 4.2 and their shooting percentage is 47% as a unit, which has them ranked 12th. From 3-point territory they shoot 36%, which is good for 9th in the NBA. They average 48.0 boards per contest and 23.0 assists per game, which ranks them 3rd and 25th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they are 20th with 13.8 per game. The Blazers allow 110.5 points per contest, which is 14th in the NBA. They also surrender a 46% shooting percentage and a 36% average from 3-point range, ranking them 13th and 20th in defensive field goal percentage. Opponents average 42.8 rebounds a game which ranks 3rd, and they allow 23.2 assists per game which puts them in 3rd place in the league. They force 12.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 2nd in the NBA.

Useful Team Statistics

Denver is 20th in the NBA with 110.7 points per contest this season. They are 13th in the league in shooting at 47%, while their average scoring margin is 3.95. They shoot 35% from beyond the arc, which is good for 20th in the league. They are 8th in the NBA in rebounding with 46.4 boards per contest and 2nd in assists per game with 27.4. The Nuggets are 23rd in turnovers per contest with 13.4. The Nuggets give up 106.7 points per game, which ranks them 6th in the league. Their defense surrenders a 46% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the 3-point line, ranking them 15th and 1st in those defensive statistics. They rank 16th with 24.6 dimes allowed per game and 1st with 42.5 boards surrendered per contest. The Nuggets are 14th in the league in forcing turnovers with 13.5 per contest this year.

Advanced Statistics

The Blazers are 3rd in the league in defensive rating with 110.5, and their offensive rating of 114.7 is ranked 16th. They are 18th in the NBA in pace with 99.1 possessions per 48 minutes, and their eFG% of 53% is 13th. As a unit they are 9th in the league in true shooting percentage with 57% and they shoot 3-pointers on 34% of their shot attempts, ranking 20th in the NBA. Portland is 20th in turnovers, as they turn the ball over an average of 12.1 times per 100 possessions while forcing 11 on defense. Their defensive eFG% for the year currently is 52%, which is 19th in the NBA.

Advanced Statistics

Denver is 24th in the league in turnovers, as they turn the ball over an average of 11.9 times per 100 possessions while forcing 12.3 on defense. Their defensive eFG% for the year currently is 52%, which is 17th in the NBA. The Nuggets are 6th in the league in defensive rating with 108.9, and their offensive rating of 113 is ranked 10th. They are 27th in the NBA in pace with 97.7 possessions per 48 minutes, and their eFG% of 53% is 14th. As a unit they are 14th in the league in true shooting percentage with 56% and they shoot 3-pointers on 35% of their shot attempts, ranking 15th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's Blazers/Nuggets NBA game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Portland +5

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