The Portland Trail Blazers return from All-Star break tonight, hosting the Denver Nuggets at Moda Center.
Portland has triumphed in its last three home matchups against Denver. Like the Blazers, the Nuggets’ recent play has been marked by inconsistency. Six of Denver’s last seven losses have come by single-digit margins.
What you Need to Know
Denver Nuggets (35-21 at Portland Trail Blazers (27-29) Fri. Feb 20 – 7:00pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to stream:
BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network
SB Nation Affiliate: Denver Stiffs
Trail Blazers Injuries: Damian Lillard, Shaedon Sharpe Out. Kris Murray, Matisse Thybulle Questionable.
Timberwolves injuries: Tamar Bates, Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson Out.
Kit: The Blazers will take the floor in its natty black City Edition jerseys. Denver will wear its white Association Edition unis.
Recently:
Trail Blazers: W vs PHI, L at MIN, W at UTA
Nuggets: L vs CLE, W vs MEM, L at LAC
Stat Leaders:
Trail Blazers: Points, Avdija (25.5 per game). Rebounds, Clingan (11.5). Assists, Avdija (6.6). Steals, Thybulle (2.5). Blocks, Williams (1.4).
Timberwolves: Points, Jokić (28.5 per game). Rebounds, Jokić (12.4). Assists, Jokić (10.6). Steals, Jokić (1.3). Blocks, Watson (1.2).
Tale of the Tape
Trail Blazers: Offensive rating: 113.5 (20th place) Defensive rating: 115.5 (19th place)
Nuggets: Offensive rating: 120.7 (1st place) Defensive rating: 116.7 (24th place)
Coming Attractions: The Blazers travel to Phoenix Sunday, play Minnesota at home Tuesday before beginning a five-game road trip at Chicago Thursday.
Storylines
Young Guns
Led by Deni Avdija, the 11 players aged 25 years or younger on the Blazers’ roster lead the league in two statistical categories. They have scored 4,958 points this season. That’s 76.1 percent of the team’s total scoring.
Best and Worst
If the Blazers are to make any kind of late season push, the team will need to improve its league-worst three point shooting percentage. (Vít Krejčí please come out firing!) Bitter irony/pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: Portland also now has the reigning NBA three point champion in street clothes on its bench.
Total Domination
Were Pedro Martinez a Blazer, he might just call Nikola Jokić the Blazers’ daddy. The Nuggets big man has shot .582 against Portland over his career. He leads the Nuggets in most statistical categories and is making a strong case for a fourth NBA MVP award.
What Others Are Saying:
See Deez 24/7:
Shams Charania reports Blazers guard Sidy Cissoko’s hard-nosed play has earned him a two-year contract. Our own Conor Bergin broke the news that the team waived Rayan Rupert to create a roster spot for Cissoko.
Getting There:
The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman reports that Matisse Thybulle and Kris Murray are inching closer to full health while injured shooting guard, Shaedon Sharpe, has yet to return to practice. Acting head coach, Tiago Splitter said, it could be a while before Sharpe returns to action:
“He didn’t practice,” Splitter said of a player who ranks second on the team in scoring (21.4 points per game). “We’re still evaluating how long he’s going to be out, but for the near future, he’s going to be out for a little bit.”
Sleepwalkers:
After the Nuggets blew a winnable game versus the Clippers last night, our comrades in arms over at Denver Stiffs said that Nuggets players cycling in and out of the lineup due to injuries has shown up in the team’s inconsistent late game play. Sounds familiar.
Denver keeps sleepwalking through these close losses and hoping someone will bail them out. Maybe the other team will make a mistake. Maybe their teammates will save them. At some point, every single Nugget will have to decide to save themselves, and this squad, from more humiliating and unnecessary losses if they plan to actually play deep into the playoffs this year and not take an early vacation.
How can Portland blaze the Nuggs? Do you think a victory is on the way tonight?
