The Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers are both ready to go to war in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The series kicks off in Phoenix, but will the Nuggets steal Game 1? Or will the Suns extend their win streak to four games? Check out our preview of this game below.
The Nuggets are happy about Damian Lillard finally getting out of their hair, as Denver sent the Portland Trail Blazers home by escaping the first round via a six-game series win. Nikola Jokic was fantastic in the first round, going through the series against the Blazers with a team-leading average of 33.0 points per game on 52.8 percent shooting from the field. Michael Porter Jr. and Monte Morris are also both stepping up in the playoffs for the Nuggets, who put up 120.8 points and shot 40.6 percent from behind the arc in the first round. Porter has become Jokic’s Robin with his 18.8 points per game average so far in the playoffs. Morris is also consistently providing much-needed offense for the Nuggets as their sixth man. The Nuggets defeated Phoenix twice in three meetings back in the regular season, though, all those games featured Jamal Murray, who’s out for the remainder of the season.
The Nuggets are 4-2 against the spread in their last six road games. The over is 3-1 in their last four away from Mile High City.
The Suns are feeling high heading into the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs and that’s perfectly understandable. After all, they are the team that knocked the Los Angeles Lakers out of title contention, and in the process made sure that there wouldn’t be a two-peat for the Purple & Gold. The Suns’ defense poisoned the Lakers in the first round, allowing LeBron James and company to score just 97.5 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting from the field. But that’s also a result of both teams’ slow pace of play. For Phoenix, it will have to take away or limit the Nuggets’ possessions. Denver is currently third among all playoff teams with 94.4 field goal attempts per game. For comparison, the Suns held the Lakers to only 83.0 shots from the floor per contest. Expected to lead Phoenix against the Nuggets are Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. Booker put up 29.7 points per game in the first round, while Ayton scored 15.8 points on 79.6 percent shooting from the field. Chris Paul will always be a key for Phoenix, and hopefully for the team, the Point God will be feeling a whole lot better in the second round.
The Suns are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 home games. The under is 3-1 in their last four at home.
