One of the most compelling series of the NBA Playoffs thus far has been the 3-6 matchup out West. The Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets have whittled their best-of-seven series down to now being a best-of-three. After getting a big scoring boost from Norman Powell to even things up in Game 4, the Blazers have their sights set on regaining home-court advantage in Tuesday night’s Game 5. This NBA betting preview for the Trail Blazers vs Nuggets NBA Playoffs matchup will provide game info, betting trends, odds and a prediction for Game 5 of this series.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Game Info | NBA Playoffs
Western Conference Round 1 NBA Playoffs Game 5 (Series tied 2-2)
Portland Trail Blazers (44-32, 23-15 Away) vs. Denver Nuggets (49-27, 26-12 Home)
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2021
Start Time: 9 p.m. EST
Venue: Ball Arena — Denver, CO
Norman Powell showed exactly why the Trail Blazers deemed him to be a worthwhile acquisition at the trade deadline. In what was an off game for Damian Lillard, Powell stepped up to lead Portland with 29 points. C.J. McCollum wasn’t too far behind with 21 points and eight assists while Lillard did manage to notch a 10-point, 10-assist double-double. Jusuf Nurkic and Carmelo Anthony also reached double figures scoring for the Trail Blazers in what was a terrific team effort. The NBA betting favorites coming in to win this series outright as the lower seed, Portland will look to continue playing team-friendly basketball on Tuesday.
After losing Game 1 at home, the Nuggets did well to win in Portland and snatch back home-court advantage. Even though they lost Game 4 on Saturday, Denver has ensured that they only need to win the two remaining games on their home floor to advance. Of greater concern heading into Tuesday’s matchup might be the blowout nature in which the Nuggets lost that fourth game. Nikola Jokic was very subdued by his standards, finishing with just 16 points and nine rebounds. Given the injury situation, the Nuggets are facing in these NBA Playoffs, the MVP favorite really needs to go off if they are to advance. Facundo Campazzo played well on Saturday with 12 points and seven assists in 27 minutes. Michael Porter Jr. did not, however, finishing with just three points. Denver will need a whole lot more from him tonight.
NBA Betting Odds
Moneyline: POR: (+110) | DEN: (-135)
Spread: POR: +2 (-110) | DEN: -2 (-110)
Total: 226.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Trail Blazers vs Nuggets NBA Betting Trends
- Trail Blazers are 8-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 road games.
- Nuggets are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games when playing on two days’ rest.
- Over is 4-0 in the Trail Blazers’ last four playoff games as an NBA betting underdog.
- Over is 5-1 in the Nuggets’ last six home games against teams with a winning record.
- Trail Blazers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight head-to-head matchups against the Nuggets.
- Over is 4-1 in the last five Trail Blazers vs Nuggets head-to-head matchups in Denver.
Trail Blazers vs Nuggets Prediction
This NBA prediction uses NumberFire’s probability model. They give Denver a 71.0% chance to win Game 5 of this NBA Playoffs matchup.
