LiontipsPortland vs Denver. Predictions and Betting Tips for NBA
Command Analysis
Blazers are having an emotional, but interesting season. Team had been in a slump for a long time in the regular season, but Terry Stotts' players managed to find their game and secured a play-off spot with a 6th place finish in the Western conference.
In the first knock-out round Portland was drawn to Denver, who is not an easy opponent, but with the right attitude anything is possible. Team started the series with an away win (123:109), though Portland players failed to hold on to their lead.
In the crucial fourth game Blazers managed to even the score thanks to a brilliant performances from C.J. McCollum, Norman Powell and Jusuf Nurkic, who were simply unstoppable (115:95), but that's where the interesting part started.
In the fifth match we saw a thrilling game, that's why fans love the playoffs. Teams were going hard on each other and scored 287 points combined. Damian Lillard recorded a double-double, but that didn't helped his team to win (140:147).
Nuggets are putting up a consistent performance for a number of seasons now and they are a regular play-off team. This season is not an exception, though club had some problems in the start of the campaign.
Denver was expecting an easy win over Portland, but Blazers turned out to be a tough team to beat. In the first game of the series Michael Malone's plan didn't worked (109:123). Of course head coach knocked some sense into his players, so they won two consecutive matches and took the lead in the series.
In the fourth game Nuggets could break away from their opponent, but offense was too weak, so Blazers took advantage of that (95:115). So the fight went on and we saw a real battle in the fifth game. Opponents couldn't decide a winner in four quarters, but in overtime Nikola Jokic and his partners were more assertive (147:140).
Trends
СтавкаPortland: total over 115.5
Blazers are averaging 120 points per game in the playoffs
СтавкаDenver: total over 110.5
Nuggets are averaging 119 points per game in the playoffs
СтавкаFirst point scored - two-pointer
In three out of last five head-to-head matches game started with a two-pointer
Tip and bets
Both teams lost much energy, but we should remember that this is only a first play-off round. Denver managed to turn the series around, but it is too early to think about the next opponent. Of course Portland will try to lead the series into the seventh match, but for that they need to secure a win in this game. We think Damian Lillard and his partners will put up a fight to their opponent at home.
Our prediction - Portland Trail Blazers to win (Including OT)
All five previous matches were high-scoring and opponents are unlikely to change their approach. Especially Blazers, who need a home win at all cost. In our opinion, we will see another high-scoring game.
Our second prediction - total over 221.5 points
