Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets 1/13/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets Matchup Preview (1/13/22)

The star-less Portland Trail Blazers will head to the Mile High City to try and beat the Denver Nuggets on the road. Denver is fresh off a disappointing road loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, who overcame a 25-point deficit to grab the home win successfully. Neither team has fulfilled expectations this season, but to be fair, each team has its own set of injuries. The Blazers are missing Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Norman Powell, while the Nuggets are still without Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Muray. Portland has the worst defense in the NBA but has looked decent defensively in its past two games. Interestingly enough, those were the two games without its three leading scorers. On the other hand, Denver has been one of the most inconsistent offensive teams in the NBA. The Nuggets have failed to eclipse the 100-point mark in four of their past seven games, and the three times they did were against the Utah Jazz, who play a “shoot-out” style game, the Houston Rockets, and the Sacramento Kings. This game will likely not be the most exciting game of the season; however, keep an eye on the matchup between Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic, which is always fun.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Odds

Denver is a ten-point favorite at home against the abysmal Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. The Nuggets just blew a 25-point lead in their last game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Meanwhile, the Blazers are 3-2 in the new year. Still, I like the Denver Nuggets against the spread, even though they just burned me against the Clippers. Denver has shown the ability to score a lot against poor defensive teams, and the Blazers are just that. The loss of Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Norman Powell should cripple them, even if Anfernee Simons has yet another breakout game. Lastly, Nikola Jokic will not have another game as subpar as his game against the Clippers.

If you are considering the point total, I would lean towards the over. As long as the Nuggets are not playing against a top-five or top-ten defense, they usually put up plenty of points. In this case, they are going up against the league’s worst defense. Plus, there should be an over-correction to the point total after the underwhelming score in Denver’s last game. If the point total is between 202-207, then I would go for the over.

TV Schedule

Date: 1/13/22
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Ball Arena – Denver, CO
Channel: TNT

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Portland Trail Blazers Starting Lineup

PG: Anfernee-Simons
SG: Nassir Little
SF: Tony Snell
PF: Larry Nance Jr.
C: Jusuf Nurkic

Portland Trail Blazers Analysis

Weirdly enough, the Portland Trail Blazers are 3-2 in the new year, despite being without Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum for all of those games and Norman Powell for two of them. Those are the Blazers’ top three scorers on their roster, so it is hard to understand what exactly is happening. Portland even got a home win against the Brooklyn Nets, who are second in the Eastern Conference right now. Anfernee Simons has stepped up in a big way but will need Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Robert Covington to play exceptional if they want to beat Denver on the road.

Denver Nuggets Starting Lineup

PG: Facundo Campazzo
SG: Austin Rivers
SF: Will Barton
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets Analysis

Denver’s most recent game resulted in a blown 25-point lead to the Los Angeles Clippers. This is not a good look for the Nuggets, especially considering the Clippers were once again without Paul George. While the Clippers’ defense is respectable, their offense is far from it, ranking 27th in offensive efficiency. One noticeable trend for the Nuggets is their inability to score on elite defenses. They often fail to break the 100-point mark against teams like the Clippers, Warriors, or Suns. Luckily, they won’t have to worry about that against the Portland Trail Blazers, who have the league’s worst defense. Additionally, the Blazers will be without their top-three scorers, which is hugely beneficial for the Nuggets.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets Daily Fantasy Picks

There is only one truly correct DFS play for the Portland Trail Blazers right now, Anfernee Simons. Simons has exploded recently with both C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard out for the Blazers, averaging a monstrous 27.8 points, 7.6 assists, and 3.2 rebounds over his past five games. Since the Blazers are missing their top two scorers, it makes sense that someone had to step up on the offensive side of the court, but the efficiency in which he is doing that is insane. His shooting split of 51/45/95 in that span is just absurd. Simons is a player that I have been high on for some time but has not gotten an opportunity to shine due to the crowded backcourt in Portland. There have been talks of Lillard being out for the remainder of the season, so if that is the case, then expect Simons’ numbers to continue being strong.

If your budget has the means, you should always consider Nikola Jokic in DFS; however, I can only write about him so many times before it becomes too redundant if it has not become that already. If you are looking for a player who can fill out your lineup and does not carry a high salary, then Jeff Green could be your answer. Green has played well in his past three games, averaging just over 15 points. He’s not going to be a world-beater for you, but if the budget is tight and you feel good about the rest of your squad, then Green might be a good utility option.