The No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets and No. 6 seed Portland Trail Blazers are set to face off in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. Denver has home-court advantage after finishing five games ahead of Portland in the standings.

Who’s Favored?

Portland is one of three lower-seeded teams that is favored in its first-round matchup. The two teams have nearly similar odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, though the Blazers are short -115 favorites. The Nuggets have -105 odds to win the series.

Players To Watch

Nikola Jokic is expected to win the 2021 NBA MVP award, averaging 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists in all 72 games. Michael Porter Jr. averaged 22.3 points per game after the All-Star break, stepping up when Jamal Murray suffered a season-ending injury. Portland’s Damian Lillard often raises his game under pressure, leading the league in scoring during what the league deems “clutch” situations.

C.J. McCollum could be the x-factor, coming off a season-high in scoring.

Series Schedule

The Nuggets host the Blazers on Saturday night in Game 1. The first three games of the series are all set to start no earlier than 10 p.m. ET. A potential Game 7 would be played June 5 in Denver.

Prediction

Murray’s injury probably ended Denver’s chances of winning a title, but it might not keep the Nuggets out of the second round. The Nuggets have been as good as any team since the start of April. Jokic has been the NBA’s top player this season, and Portland doesn’t have anyone to slow him down.

Nuggets over Blazers in six

Nikola Jokic Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets lost 20 to 25 pounds during the 2020 lockdown in Serbia. Denver Nuggets/Twitter
RELATED STORIES