Weary Nuggets Await Blazers Challenge As NBA Playoffs Continue

The Denver Nuggets are in the second round of the NBA Playoffs as was expected. What wasn’t expected was the tough test they received from the San Antonio Spurs to get there. San Antonio extended Denver to the full 7 games in the opening round. The Spurs didn’t go away easily in Game 7 either, erasing a 17 point Nuggets lead before falling by 4 points. The result is that the Nuggets now have to turn around and start their second round series against the Portland Trailblazers just 48 hours later. The Blazers eliminated Oklahoma City last Tuesday giving them nearly a week to rest and refocus.

Denver does catch a break with the scheduling as they start the second round at home. The Nuggets were a NBA best 34-7 at the Pepsi Center during the regular season. They dropped Game 1 of the San Antonio series at home but won the next three on their own court. Making the series all the more interesting is that the Blazers’ home/road dichotomy is almost a mirror image of the Nuggets’. Portland is very good on their home court at the Moda Center where they went 32-9 during the regular season and won all three first round playoff games there. Neither team is anything special on the road–the Nuggets were 20-21 away from home during the regular season while the Blazers were 21-20 . Portland split two games at Oklahoma City during their opening round series while San Antonio went 1-2 against the Spurs.

The head to head series between the Blazers and Nuggets was extremely close during the regular season. Denver won 3 of the four meetings but each was decided by single digits with each team covering two of the matchups. The big difference now is that Portland is playing arguably their best basketball of the season while Denver was taken to the limit by the Western Conference #7 seed in the opening round. It’s no surprise that this series is also expected to be close. Although the Nuggets were near the top of the Western Conference standings all season the Blazers came on strong late to finish just one game behind Denver. NBA betting odds for the Conference Semifinal series have Denver as a -137 favorite with takeback on Portland at +117.

One of the toughest situational spots in any 7 game playoff series occurs when a team that needed 7 games to win their previous round matches up against a rested opponent in Game 1. In addition to any physical fatigue issues a bigger problem is mental and emotional–a bit of ‘letdown’ is natural after the intensity of the decisive 7th game and it can be tough to refocus on a new opponent. This is particularly true when facing a foe that has been ‘lying in wait’ for almost a week as is the case with Portland.

The Blazers are an extremely dangerous team that still could be ‘undervalued’ as before the opening round. Despite having home court advantage at the tough Moda Center and being the higher seeded team Oklahoma City was favored by both the betting line and so called ‘experts’ to advance. Portland is fast, athletic and depending on the situation can play as a team unit or let Damien Lillard or CJ McCollum take over games. After losing Game 1 of the San Antonio series a loss in the opening game of this series to a rested Portland team won’t be unprecedented.

BET PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS +4 OVER DENVER NUGGETS
BET PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS +117 TO WIN SERIES