The Denver Nuggets are rolling. After dropping their opening night game against the Golden State Warriors, the Nuggets have now won three in a row and all of them were double-digit victories. The show rolls on tonight out on the west coast as the Nuggets take on the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland. Portland’s season is off to a peculiar start (more on that later) but from an overall record perspective they have to be pleased. Five games in the team is 3-2 with notable wins in Los Angeles and at home against the same Warriors who beat Denver. It’s a positive start for them, but also one I think everyone is eyeing with bated breath. The Blazers have been a fairly permanent resident at the bottom of the standings lately and five games just isn’t enough to convince anyone that the team has truly turned a corner, especially with the other things going on in the organization.
The Matchup
Who: Denver Nuggets (3-1) at Portland Trail Blazers (3-2)
When: 8PM MDT
Where: Screw you Moda, I’m still calling it the Rose Garden. Portland, OR.
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV and Altitude Radio 92.5 FM. Dress up in a nice suit with a fedora, talk to security about how nice of a place they have here and it’d be a shame it someone made it not so nice, then casually mention concrete shoes and they probably walk you in without asking any more questions.
Rival blog: Blazer’s Edge
The Matchup
| Position | Nuggets | Blazers | Advantage |
| PG | Jamal Murray | Jrue Holiday | Nuggets |
| SG | Christian Braun | Shaedon Sharpe | Nuggets |
| SF | Cam Johnson | Toumani Camara | Nuggets |
| PF | Aaron Gordon | Deni Avdija | Nuggets |
| C | Nikola Jokic | Donovan Clingan | Nuggets |
| Bench | Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valanciunas, Peyton Watson, Spencer Jones | Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, Blake Wesley, Calb Love, Yang Hansen | Nuggets |
Injury report: Cam Johnson – probable (shoulder), Jamal Murray – questionable (calf), DaRon Holmes II – out (G-League), Tamar Bates – out (G-League), Curtis Jones – out (G-League); Shaedon Sharpe – probable (calf), Kris Murray – questionable (illness), Robert Williams III – questionable (G-League), Scoot Henderson – out (hamstring), Damian Lillard – out (achilles), Matisse Thybulle – out (thumb).
The Three Things
The thing to watch: Jokic vs Baby Jokic
The Blazers have a cult favorite on their team, rookie center from China, Yang Hansen. Hansen is getting minutes as the backup big in the Blazers rotation so he’ll spend most his night matching up with Jonas Valanciunas, but he could also see Nikola for a few minutes. That will be a spectacle for all Yang fans as he’s been dubbed as Asian baby Jokic. It’s easy to see why the comparisons get drawn. Like Jokic, Hansen uses his cerebral talents to overcome not being the most physically gifted player on the court while still being a giant and knowing how to use his size. Probably not a good bet to think he’ll become the next three-time MVP, but it’ll be fun to watch those guys go at each other and get a live side by side comparison tonight.
The thing to remember: the Blazers have a big distraction
In case you missed it, the Blazers head coach, and former Nugget, Chauncey Billups is not with the team. This is because Billups was recently arrested due to his alleged involvement in an illegal poker ring. Billups also appears to be named as “Co-Conspirator 8” in an illegal sports betting investigation that, allegedly, stems from the same bad actors as the poker scheme. Chauncey is of course innocent until proven guilty but the information coming out from the investigation, and the fact that he was arrested on criminal charges as a result of said investigation, are not putting Billups or the Blazers in any sort of good situation. As such, Billups has stepped away from the team and assistant coach Tiago Splitter is manning the helm.
The thing to bet: Aaron Gordon over 17.5 points (+105)
Deni Avdija is breaking out for the Blazers but it’s coming at the cost of his defense. Being asked to carry the load more or less on offense has certainly improved Avdija’s stock, and he’s an early Most Improved Player candidate but all that effort to score has a price. With Nikola Jokic looking to pass first and with Jamal Murray a little hobbled, I expect AG to take on more of a scoring load tonight and do so with little trouble. He’s averaged 21 points per game so far this year but that’s including a 50 point outburst on opening night. Still, 18 points feels very doable given the circumstances tonight.
