The Denver Nuggets will have to deal with another Game 7 in these playoffs. They already did in the first round against the San Antonio Spurs, and they will be looking to buck the pressure again under the same circumstance. Will the Nuggets send themselves to the Western Conference Finals? Or will the Blazers steal a win in Denver? Going into the game, the sportsbook favors the home team by 5.5-points.
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Betting Preview for Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets NBA Playoff Round 2 Game 7 on May 12, 2019
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
When: Sunday, May 12, 2019
Line: Portland Trail Blazers (+5.5) vs. Denver Nuggets (-5.5) – view all NBA lines
Series: Tied, 3-3
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (53-29, Regular Season)
It’s not over until Damian Lillard says it’s over. That seems to be the message Dame sent to everyone on Thursday, as he pumped out 32 points on 11-for-23 shooting with six 3-pointers in Portland’s 119-108 Game 6 win at home. But it’s not just him who did the heavy lifting for the Blazers. Lillard’s backcourt partner, C.J. McCollum bounced back from an abysmal 12-point effort in Game 5’s loss and put up 30 points on 12-for-24 shooting in Game 6. Rodney Hood, meanwhile, came off the bench and fired 25 points with three 3-pointers. Hood has been a huge factor for Portland in the second round. If it weren’t for his ample production to complement that of Lillard and McCollum’s, the Blazers would have likely sipping drinks in Cancun right now. Through the first six games of the series, Hood has averaged 16.2 points on a hard-to-sustain 60.4 field goal shooting percentage. Hopefully for Portland, Hood’s eventual regression to the mean won’t happen in Game 7.
The Blazers are 2-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last four road games.
Betting on the Denver Nuggets (54-28 Regular Season)
Although the Nuggets wasted a golden chance to end their second round series against Portland in Game 6, there are still at least a few positives for them to look forward to in Game 7. Among them is the fact that the tandem of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray is still playing well. Jokic had 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the field to go with 12 rebounds and eight assists. At this point of the series, Jokic has clearly established the notion that there’s no one on the Blazers team who could stop him. With Enes Kanter not 100 percent healthy, and even if he was, he’s a bad defender in the first place. With Paul Millsap, Mason Plumlee, and Jokic, the Nuggets’ frontcourt have the talent, bulk, and depth they need to tire Portland’s interior defense and open up some space for Murray and the Nuggets wingmen to shoot from the perimeter. Murray had 24 points in Game 6 and also had 10 assists and five boards. He was sizzling at home in Game 5, when he poured in 34 points in 38 minutes to lead the Nuggets to a victory.
The Nuggets are 4-2 ATS in their last six home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Denver wins, 121-117.
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