Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Michael Porter Jr. (left) and Damian Lillard (right)
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets
| Trail Blazers Odds | -4 |
| Nuggets Odds | +4 |
| Over/Under | 227.5 |
| Time | Channel | 10:30 p.m. ET | NBA TV |
Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets is a series that everyone from casual fans to NBA diehards are intrigued by.
It features the player who will likely win the 2021 NBA MVP Award in Nikola Jokic on one side, opposed by perhaps the most clutch player in the league in Damian Lillard.
The series is knotted up 1-1 heading into Game 3 at the Moda Center on Thursday night. Game 1 featured a gutsy 34-point, 13-assist performance from Lillard, that included going 9-of-9 from the charity stripe.
Game 2 saw “Dame Time” return again, as Lillard caught fire from the field, racking up 32 points in the first half.
DAME OVER POINTS (29.5) CASHES IN THE FIRST HALF 🔥 💰 pic.twitter.com/j89I1kQNZ1
— NBABet (@nbabet) May 25, 2021
Even with Lillard entering “Dame Time” early on, nothing could help Portland steal Game 2 with its defense looking as bad as it did.
In Game 1, Portland held Denver to eight free-throw attempts (FTAs). That figured ballooned to a whopping 30 FTAs for Denver in Game 2.
You would imagine that with the series being back in Portland, it’s unlikely the Blazers will allow the Nuggets to rack up such a large amount of FTAs, even if they give up lots of points on the interior.
Portland allowed Denver to shoot over 50% from the field in both games, yet it still enters Game 3 with a tied series.
This tells you that in what figures to be an offense-centric matchup, the Trail Blazers will likely be able to keep things close, especially in games at the Moda Center, where they will have as many as 8,000 fans cheering them on.
Our latest PRO Report shows that with the total again being high, sharp bettors are counting on Portland’s defense to show a bit more fight at home.
Let’s take a look.
NBA Picks: Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets
Sharp Action
The total for Trail Blazers-Nuggets opened up at 229 before it was pushed down to 227.5 ahead of Thursday’s action.
Since Tuesday, there have been four Action Labs Bet Signals triggered on the under. This is an indicator of wiseguy action that is driving down Thursday’s total.
Big Money
At the time of this writing, the 28% of bettors taking the under have generated 69% of the money wagered on Thursday’s total.
PRO Report Pick: Under 227.5 (-105 at PointsBet)
_BookPromo=451