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The Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers will meet in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. It will be a great battle between two Western Conference teams who are looking to upset some of the top contenders.
The Nuggets put up a 47-25 record throughout the NBA regular season. Despite losing Jamal Murray in the final month of the campaign, Mike Malone's team and likely NBA MVP winner Nikola Jokic secured the third seed in the West.
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers (42-30) struggled in the early part of the year, with CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic missing significant amounts of games, mostly at the same time. However, Damian Lillard stepped up, and the team eventually earned a direct spot in the NBA Playoffs once McCollum and Nurkic returned to the starting lineup.
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Series Schedule
Game 1: Blazers at Nuggets | Ball Arena | Saturday, May 22nd, 2021 | 8:30 PM ET
Game 2: Blazers at Nuggets | Ball Arena | Monday, May 24th, 2021 | 8 PM ET
Game 3: Nuggets at Blazers | Moda Center | Thursday, May 27th, 2021 | 8:30 PM ET
Game 4: Nuggets at Blazers | Moda Center | Saturday, May 29th, 2021 | 4 PM ET
*Game 5: Blazers at Nuggets | Ball Arena | Tuesday, June 1st, 2021 | TBD
*Game 6: Nuggets at Blazers | Moda Center | Thursday, June 3rd, 2021 | TBD
*Game 7: Blazers at Nuggets | Ball Arena | Saturday, June 5th, 2021 | TBD
*If necessary
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Regular Season Head-to-Head Record
In the 72-game 2020-21 NBA regular season, the Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers faced each other three times. The divisional duels were decided in favor of the Nuggets, two victories to one.
The regular-season miniseries started with the Denver Nuggets winning 111-106 at home on February 23rd, guided by 41 points from Nikola Jokic.
The second duel took place at Portland's Moda Center on April 21st. The Denver Nuggets secured a narrow 106-105 win, with the Portland Trail Blazers' Norman Powell missing a potential game-winning shot in the final second.
The third matchup came on the final day of the regular season, and the Portland Trail Blazers secured a comfortable 132-116 victory in a game that really lasted one quarter. The Trail Blazers got off to a red-hot start and won the first quarter 43-22. The Denver Nuggets' Jokic, Facundo Campazzo, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. sat out the entire second half.
Denver Nuggets' strengths heading into the playoffs
The 2020-21 Denver Nuggets were a solidly balanced team throughout the NBA regular season, even though they started the year with a 1-4 record.
The Nuggets managed a solid 47-25 record after taking 35 wins in their last 50 games of the regular season, and their offense (ranked seventh in the NBA) was a major reason behind their success.
The Denver Nuggets averaged 117.1 points per 100 possessions, only 1.2 below the Brooklyn Nets' league-leading Offensive Rating. Even after Jamal Murray's ACL injury on April 12nd, the Nuggets' offense kept going strong, averaging 115.2 points per 100 possessions and ranking 10th in the NBA over the last month.
Nikola Jokic was the team's offensive leader throughout the entire season, putting up 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while appearing in every Denver Nuggets game this year.
Jokic's numbers will probably give him his first MVP award, as he also led the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating (31.3).
Portland Trail Blazers' strengths heading into the playoffs
The upcoming first-round matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers is likely to be an offensive-driven battle. The Trail Blazers averaged 117.8 points per 100 possessions, the second-best in the 2020-21 NBA season, behind the Brooklyn Nets' attacking scheme.
Damian Lillard led the Portland Trail Blazers offensively, averaging 28.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. He also put up 45.1/39.1/92.8 shooting splits during the campaign.
CJ McCollum (23.1), Norman Powell (17), Carmelo Anthony (13.4), Jusuf Nurkic (11.5) and Enes Kanter (11.2) also averaged double-digit points per game this season for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Denver Nuggets' weaknesses heading into the playoffs
Defensively, the Denver Nuggets ranked 12th in the NBA, which is quite good. However, they allowed the fifth-highest two-point field-goal percentage in the entire NBA, and that's an area they'll need to cover in the upcoming series against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Though the Denver Nuggets' offense ran well with or without Jamal Murray, his absence will certainly have an impact on rotation and bench production. In the regular season, the Nuggets' offense ranked 27th in points per game, 25th in field-goal percentage and 14th in three-point percentage.
Since Murray got injured and Facundo Campazzo entered the starting lineup, the bench has maintained its level, ranking 22nd in the NBA since April 12th.
The bench will need to be productive against the Portland Trail Blazers. Austin Rivers' signing on April 20th, along with Will Barton's likely return to the starting lineup, could address that issue.
Portland Trail Blazers' weaknesses heading into the playoffs
The Portland Trail Blazers had a historically great offense in the 2020-21 NBA season, but their defense was inadequate for a team with big aspirations.
Though their Defensive Rating improved over the last month of action, the Trail Blazers ranked only 20th in that stretch. They will enter the postseason with the second-worst Defensive Rating in the entire NBA, at 116.
Moreover, the Portland Trail Blazers ranked 20th when it comes to defending the three-point line as their rivals shot 37.2% from three. They also ranked 28th in turnovers forced to opponents, with 12.4 per game.
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Series Prediction
Given the structure of these two teams, it is likely that we will see high-scoring games throughout the series. The Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers competed in the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, and the series went to seven games.
Now, with both squads built similarly to 2019 and with deep postseason experience (Portland played in the Western Finals in 2019, and Denver did it last year), we can expect a tremendously competitive series.
In the end, the Denver Nuggets should be favored to advance over the Portland Trail Blazers. However, there is a real chance that the Trail Blazers could push the Nuggets to at least six games.
Also read: Who has the most game-winners in NBA history?
