Denver Nuggets vs Portland Blazers Prediction, 5/29/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Portland Blazers

Date: Saturday, May 29, 2021

Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (+3.5)

The Portland Blazers (42-30) play the Denver Nuggets (47-25) at Moda Center on Saturday in Game 4 of their series. The Nuggets lead 2-1. Denver opens this game as 3.5-point underdogs. The O/U has been set at 228.5.

The Nuggets went home with a win by a final score of 120-115 in Game 3. Denver finished the game having earned a 46.4% FG percentage (39 of 84) and made 20 of their 38 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Nuggets buried 22 of 27 attempts for a rate of 81.5%. When discussing rebounding, they earned 45 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 24 dimes for the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. Regarding defending, Denver allowed the other team to go 45.0% from the floor on 45 out of 100 shooting. Portland distributed 20 assists and had 6 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Portland collected 45 rebounds (14 offensive, 31 defensive) and earned 4 rejections. Portland ended up shooting 84.6% when shooting free throws by converting 11 of their 13 tries. They buried 14 out of their 45 tries from three-point range.

Nikola Jokic is someone who came through in this matchup. He scored 36 points on 12 of 24 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35:29 minutes and pulled down 11 rebounds. Jokic finished shooting 50.0% from the floor and totaled 5 dimes. Someone else that was a contributor in the game for the Nuggets was Austin Rivers. He had 4 rebounds in his 36:55 minutes played. He finished 50.0% from the field for the contest by shooting 7-of-14 (21 points). When the final whistle was blown, Rivers earned 2 assists.

Denver will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 47-25 for the year. They are averaging 115.1 pts per game (8th in the NBA) on 48.5% from the field. The Nuggets are hitting 37.7% on three-point attempts (927 of 2,462) and 80.3% from the free throw line. As a team, Denver is snagging 44.4 boards per game and has racked up 1,933 assists on the season, which has them ranked 5th in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 13.5 times per contest and as a squad they commit 19.1 fouls on a nightly basis. Defensively, the Nuggets are forcing 14.1 turnovers per game and they draw 19.2 personal fouls. They are 24th in basketball in allowing assists with 1,864 surrendered so far this year. The Nuggets are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.9% (1,014 of 1,379) and they surrender 41.2 rebounds per contest as a group. They give up 36.3% on 3-point attempts while they are 8th in the league in opponents points per game (110.1).

In their Game 3 loss, the Blazers recorded 31 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards for a total of 45 in the matchup. They also turned it over 7 times, while recording 6 steals for the matchup. The Nuggets were called for 18 personal fouls for the game which took the Blazers to the charity stripe for a total of 13 attempts. They were able to knock down 11 of those for a clip of 84.6%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, Portland buried 14 of 45 tries (31.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Blazers ended up shooting 45 for 100 from the field which had them sitting at 45.0%. The Blazers permitted the Nuggets to knock down 39 of their 84 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.4% for this game. They shot 52.6% from 3-point land by hitting 20 of 38 and ended up going 22 out of 27 from the free throw line (81.5%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, Portland permitted Denver to collect 45 in all (12 offensive).

Damian Lillard pitched in for the Blazers for the game. He knocked down 15 of 31 in this game giving him a rate of 48.4%, and had 2 rebounds. Lillard racked up 37 points in his 39:32 minutes on the hardwood and added 5 assists for the matchup. One more player who came through for Portland was CJ McCollum. He ended up with 3 dimes in his 41:14 mins on the hardwood, and he shot 8 out of 20 from the floor. McCollum finished going 40.0% from the field and also collecting 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Portland has a win-loss record of 42-30 for the campaign. The Blazers commit 18.9 fouls per game and they hit 82.3% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 21.3 times per game (30th in the league) and they turn the ball over 11.1 times per game. Portland has earned 8,360 points so far this year (116.1 per contest) and they grab 44.5 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Blazers are hitting on 45.3% from the floor, which is ranked 23rd in the league. The Blazers on defense are ranked 23rd in the league in PPG allowed with 114.3. They allow 24.9 dimes and 45.4 boards every game, which has them ranked 16th and 21st in basketball. The Portland defense concedes 37.2% on shots from beyond the arc (928 of 2,494) and opponents are converting on 78.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have forced 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 47.3% from the floor (25th in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Portland (-3.5)

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