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The Portland Trail Blazers will see an end to their home stand as they hit the road to play the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on January 13th.
Coming off their 114-118 win against the Brooklyn Nets, the Trail Blazers see themselves on a two-game winning streak as they hit the road. Now 16-24 this season, the side will look to turn things around as they approach the midway mark.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets will head home after a disappointing 85-87 loss to the LA Clippers on the road. Featuring a major turnaround late in the third quarter, the Nuggets will have a lot of problems to address before Thursday's game.
The Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets series appears to be a grudge match dating back to last year's playoff series. However, with a number of key players out of the rotation, the appeal is lost.
Match Details
Fixture - Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets | 2021-22 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Thursday, Januayr 13th, 2022; 10:00 PM ET (Friday, January 14th, 2022; 8:30 AM IST.)
Venue - Ball Arena, Denver, CO.
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Heading into this game on the back of a two-game winning streak, the Portland Trail Blazers will have some serious momentum as they hit the road.
The win against the Brooklyn Nets was quite an impressive one. Playing against a Nets team featuring all three of their superstars, the Trail Blazers held their own as they won the rebounding battle and contained Brooklyn to 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Although the turnover battle was even for the game, the Trail Blazers managed to overwhelm the Nets by putting up balanced scoring across the board. With each starter recording double-digit scoring, Anfernee Simons led the charge with 23 points.
Portland will have some struggles to overcome in this game on the road. With Simons also joining the injury report, the Portland Trail Blazers will have a guard rotation problem to address.
Key Player - Nassir Little
The key player for the Portland Trail Blazers in this game on Thursday will be Nassir Little.
Coming off a soft performance of 13 points and five rebounds, Little is one of the hardest working players in the league.
Known for his hustle and his rebounding, Little is often an undersized guard-forward who makes use of his athleticism to secure rebounds and loose balls.
Although this desire to secure possession got him into a bit of trouble with Kyrie Irving, Little stuck to his guns and claimed his "unnecessary" dive was a good play.
The 21-year old is a second-year player in the league. Often coming off the bench, Nassir Little has entered the Portland Trail Blazers' starting rotation in the absence of a number of key players.
Although his role on the scoring end won't be as necessary, while Jusuf Nurkic attempts to nullify Nikola Jokic, Little will play a role in hustling to secure loose balls and possessions for the Trail Blazers.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Dennis Smith Jr. | G - Ben McLemore | F - Nassir Little | F - Robert Covington | C - Jusuf Nurkic
Denver Nuggets Preview
The loss to the LA Clippers was a devastating one for the Denver Nuggets. After leading for the majority of the game, a lead that peaked at 25-points, the Clippers managed to rally together to put up a 50-26 turnaround that saw them win the game.
Having been held to only 19 points in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets saw some abysmal three-point shooting from the entire team. Recording 12.1% from beyond the arc alongside 20 turnovers for the game, the costly misses allowed the Clippers to establish a foothold in the game.
Denver continues to see tremendous contributions from Nikola Jokic, who had 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the night. Aaron Gordon also stepped up with 30 points.
Unfortunately, the rest of the team couldn't feed off the contributions of their leading men, as only two other players recorded scoring in the low 10's.
Key Player - Nikola Jokic
The key player for the Denver Nuggets in this game against Portland will be Nikola Jokic.
Regardless of the circumstances, Jokic has been one of the most impressive players this season. Underrated and overlooked as an MVP, the Serbian big-man has only improved upon his contributions as he carries the Denver Nuggets to a winning record.
In the absence of Denver's star players, Jokic carries an immense responsibility to perform for the side. Wielding heavy influence on the Nuggets' offense, Jokic will continue to be key for the side against the shorthanded Portland team.
With Nurkic being the only legitimate center with the ability to compete with him, Jokic will enjoy an advantage due to Nurkic's poor defensive capabilities. While also factoring in the overall lack of size in Portland's interior, the reigning MVP could have a field day in the paint.
Denver Nuggets Predicted Lineup
G - Monte Morris | G - Austin Rivers | F - Aaron Gordon | F - Jeff Green | C - Nikola Jokic
Trail Blazers vs Nuggets Match Predictions
The Denver Nuggets should be favored to win this game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Although both sides will face some roster shortages, the Trail Blazers will see a severely depleted roster on the guard front. With both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum out, Portland will also see Anfernee Simons and Norman Powell out for the game.
Given the nature of their roster, the Portland Trail Blazers will have to fight an uphill battle on the road against a Denver team that has grown accustomed to the state of their roster.
Where to watch Trail Blazers vs Nuggets game?
The Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets game will be broadcast nationally on TNT. The game will be locally broadcast on Altitude. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can also listen to the game by tuning into KKSE 92.5 FM.
