The Denver Nuggets will travel to Portland, Oregon to face the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter with the game tipping off at 10:00 PM ET on Friday night and will air on Root Sports Northwest.

The Denver Nuggets have the 4^th best record in the Western Conference at 37-19 following Thursday’s 130-110 win at home against the Washington Wizards which also ended their three-game losing streak. 

Denver has been one of the best teams defensively in the NBA this season as they are allowing the 6^th fewest points per game in the league with an average of 110.82 points allowed per game, however, the Nuggets have been a below average team offensively as they are averaging 113.95 points per game which is below the league average of 115.54 points per game. 

Nikola Jokic has played a pivotal role in the success the Nuggets have had this season as he leads the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, and blocks with an average of 26.1 points, 12 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 0.92 blocks per game. The Denver Nuggets will look to build off the momentum following the win at home against the Washington Wizards when they travel to face the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers have the 2^nd worst record in the Western Conference at 15-39 and are on a six-game losing streak which includes a 91-128 loss at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game before the All-Star Break. Portland has been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NBA this season as they are averaging the 2^nd fewest points per game in the league with an average of 107.87 points per game. 

Defensively, the Trail Blazers have been a slightly below-average team as they are allowing an average of 116.70 points per game. Deandre Ayton enters this game averaging a double-double with 13.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while also leading the team in blocks with an average of 0.78 blocks per game. The Portland Trail Blazers will look to end their six-game losing streak when they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

WagerWeb has the Denver Nuggets listed as 8.5-point favorites on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. Denver has won eight of the last ten including the previous five meetings against Portland. The teams are 5-5 ATS in the last ten while the Trail Blazers have covered the spread in two of the previous three games in the series. 

The Denver Nuggets are 23-31-2 ATS overall, 10-18-1 ATS on the road, 20-26-2 ATS as a favorite, and 2-7 ATS in division games this season while the Portland Trail Blazers are 25-29 ATS overall, 11-15 ATS at home, 24-25 ATS as an underdog, and 4-8 ATS in division games on the year.

Denver has been the dominant team in the series, winning eight of the last ten including the previous five contests against Portland. However, the Trail Blazers have been the better team at covering the spread most recently in the series, covering the spread in two of the previous three matchups while also being the better team at covering the spread this season with a record of 25-29 ATS overall and 4-8 ATS in division games while the Nuggets are 23-31-2 ATS overall and 2-7 ATS in division games which is why I am buying the .5 point and taking the points with the Portland Trail Blazers when they host the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.