The Portland Trail Blazers look to even their best-of-seven series against the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday. The Nuggets recovered home court advantage with an impressive 120-115 road win in Game 3 last Thursday behind 36 points, 11 rebounds and five assists from Nikola Jokic and 21 points from Austin Rivers. The Trail Blazers then won Game 4, 115-95 at home before losing 147-140 in overtime on Tuesday.
Game 5 was one for the ages and Damian Lillard had a masterpiece with a playoff career-high 55 points and a playoff record 12 3-pointers. This was the first 55-point, 10-assist performance in postseason history and he’s the first player in NBA history with 50 points, 10 assists and at least 10 3-pointers in a regular season or playoffs game. Lillard is SPECIAL, he has something that I haven’t seen since Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. The will and savagery, which are beyond skill.
Nikola Jokic also had a monster game for the Nuggets with 38 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists and Michael Porter Jr. stepped up with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Game 6 will be on Thursday at 8:00 PM ET at the Moda Center in Portland.
Dafanews Picks
Team to Win (Regular Time)
• Denver Nuggets: 2.70
• Portland Trail Blazers: 1.52
Spread
• Denver Nuggets: +4.5 (1.97)
• Portland Trail Blazers: -4.5 (1.84)
Total
• Over 228.5 (1.90)
• Under 228.5 (1.90)
Key Points to Consider
So far this has been the most entertaining playoff series this year and Game 6 will not disappoint. Respect to Damian Lillard. Year after year he comes through in the clutch and not many would even think of taking these shots he takes. He just says get out of my way, let me do it but he needs help. CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Carmelo Anthony have to really step up on Thursday if the Trail Blazers want to keep their season alive. Dame can carry them to Game 7 but their chances improve significantly if he gets some help.
The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game, 1-4 ATS in their last five games as an underdog and 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning straight up record. The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite.
Projected Leaders
For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic is projected to finish with 22.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists, making 9.5 field goals in 20.5 attempts.
For the Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard is expected to score 31.4 points with 8.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds, making 9.2 field goals in 19.8 attempts.
Analyst’s Pick
Trail Blazers -4.5.
Four-star (out of four) AccuScore hot trend pick on the Portland Trail Blazers in this one. Average score in simulations is Portland Trail Blazers 119.5 to Denver Nuggets 113.4.
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