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#3 Nuggets vs Trail Blazers: October 23rd, 2019, 10:00 PM
This will be a replay of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. In 2019 both of these teams were separated by one game in the regular-season standings with the Nuggets winning 54 games for second overall in the West. They met in the second round of the 2019 playoffs and it was Portland winning the series advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
The real big difference between these two teams is the experience. The Nuggets missed the 2018 NBA Playoffs when they lost to the Timberwolves in the last regular-season game that season. With young stars like Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and others competing in their first postseason in 2019, the knowledge and poise of handling the playoff grind were not on Denver’s side. The 2019/20 season will be a good test to see just how much Denver has grown from their recent playoff exposure.
Portland managed to pull off the seven-game series win without their center Jusuf Nurkic who suffered a horrific broken leg late in March of 2019. If he is healthy to start the 2019/20 season, Nurkic's inside presence combined with a splendid duo of starting guards in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum make Portland a tough team to play.
This game on October 23rd, 2019 will also be a good measure of whether Portland can continue to compete with the West’s elite teams.
