Bench scoring: Portland’s Carmelo Anthony and Anfernee Simons did all kinds of damage against Denver’s reserves. The Nuggets benefit more than the Pistons do in the short term. “They’re amazing talent on offense, but on defense, we gotta make them use some type of energy to distort some of that shot-making,” he said. Fast Break: Will the Nuggets Make the Playoffs After Billups for Iverson? expected to finish in the fourth place spot, currently grading out worse than he ever has on the defensive end of the floor, 10.3 free throws per game against them this season, Preview: Denver Nuggets look to even series against Portland Trail Blazers. The more common things you hear about the trade, what you might call "the party line," are: 1. Yes, they are most likely wrong. They needed either a win on Sunday or a Los Angeles Lakers loss … First-round series preview: Nuggets vs. Blazers Superstars Damian Lillard and Nikola Jokic may not be the ones who decide this rematch of familiar playoff rivals. Read more. In that same vein, both Rivers and Morris lamented their own lack of burst on offense. Even when Murray went down, Malone kept this team afloat and playing fantastic basketball. The last thing Denver has to do is force Luka to settle for jump shots outside the paint. … With Shaw likely on the hot seat if they don’t perform well, the Nuggets should be doing everything possible on the court to make sure that doesn’t happen. If L.A. beats the New Orleans Pelicans and the Nuggets top the Portland Trail Blazers, L.A. will end up as the No. 3-point shots only should be the plan here. Aggression/physicality: Malone wasn’t asked about his team’s physicality, yet he brought it up anyway. A review of the film revealed the fewest number of contests the Nuggets have logged all season, the lowest number of deflections, and just one 50-50 ball recovered. If they keep tight on shooters and Dallas hits shots, there isn’t anything you can do other than tip your cap and say good shot. “And when you watched him last night, I wish he would’ve retired a few years ago because that guy is one of the best one-on-one players in the history of the game.”. Trail Blazers Clinch Spot in NBA Playoffs for Eighth-Straight Season, Taking on the Denver Nuggets in Round One Ticket presales begin May 20 for qualified customers Posted: May 16, 2021 Multiple injuries have slowed down his movements on that end of the floor, and he’s currently grading out worse than he ever has on the defensive end of the floor. It’s a major backdrop as the truncated regular year comes to a conclusion and the NBA Playoffs start. You can’t let them get inside. Force someone else to beat you because you can’t let the stars do it. Keeler: Nazem Kadri got what he deserved Friday. On this play, you have Gasol out near the 3-point line guarding Jokic. The more the Nuggets make Portland’s defense move, the more opportunities there are to create passing lanes for Jokic to exploit. “That’s what we want,” Morris said. He’s shooting 70.6 percent at the rim this season. Michael Porter Jr. does a great job of keeping his hands up while denying him a driving lane. They went through a phase without the playoffs in the late 90s that went into the new decade. Although they made it to the playoffs quite consistently, they are yet to win the league. That’s great offense. However, they’ve lost 2 out of 3 to both the Lakers and Mavericks this season, including a 19-point drubbing from the Lakers in January that saw Denver outscored by 33 points in the second half. Together, they sunk eight 3-pointers – just three shy of the Nuggets’ total for Game 1. “It’s incredible to think about a few years ago, people were wondering if Carmelo was washed up and done,” Malone said. Kev Mahserejian 3 mins ago. Promotions. Tough to go down 0-1 to start, but the Nuggets have been in tougher spots. Coaches: Both Michael Malone and Terry Stotts have navigated their respective clubs through significant injuries and adversity. Proud Wisconsin Badger. Brooklyn Nets vs Boston Celtics Prediction: 2021 NBA Playoffs Round 1 Bet Tips & Pick. Featured Articles (Editorials and Analysis), Denver Nuggets Film Friday: Possible Playoff Opponents, Nuggets-Blazers is already coming full circle as Nurkic and Melo hand Denver a loss in Game 1, Game 1 highlighted the shared history between Portland and Denver, Five Takeaways from a Nuggets Game 1 loss versus the Portland Trail Blazers. The case against Denver not being able to win without Murray is due to his historic run last season. Porter grabs the second offensive rebound of the possession, and he eventually gets the easy bucket as Lillard watches him dunk it home. Welcome offer. No, We Remember Last Postseason. … Step up and make shots, which we will be.”. Portland’s advantage was even more evident considering Paul Millsap and Green combined for just three points, four rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes. In wins, the Lakers shoot 37.7 percent from 3-point range, and they were 38.9 percent in their two wins over Denver. Mike Kiszla writes: "After the season-ending injury to Murray, the Nuggets stubbornly refused to fade away. Thus, there are a few teams that the Nuggets want to face come the middle of May. If you’re not familiar with Film Fridays, each Friday, I’ll be looking at some recent Denver Nuggets’ games, lineups or something else from a film aspect to try and bring you a piece of content that you’re not getting somewhere else. This new dynamic duo can help the Nuggets keep up with the other elite teams in the West. The Blazers (42-30) clinched the No. If the Lakers are going to get hot for a series and beat you with 3-point shooting, then so be it. ... 2021 NBA Playoffs Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Game 1 Prop Bets Tips & Picks. It has to be someone else. You put them out in space where they’re going to get beaten by quicker players. In their losses, that number drops to 31.6 percent. This is the playoffs.”. The Nuggets’ playoff opponents, assuming they enter as the four seed, will be one of three teams in the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers or … Lean: No Two teams that expect to make deep runs in the playoffs … Nuggets vs. The Nuggets’ playoff opponents, assuming they enter as the four seed, will be one of three teams in the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers or Los Angeles Lakers. Recap: Trail Blazers steal Game 1 from Nuggets behind Damian Lillard’s big night. He’s an offensive wizard, but his defense is nowhere near that level. In two wins against Denver, they hit 39.5 percent from downtown. Austin Rivers falls down on the left wing, but he gets up and gets back into the play. He’ll also be covered by Jokić, which will make it tough for him to score around the rim as well. Their revamped roster will be enough and they will be seen as a threat to the rest of the league, just like they used to be. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Why have models of Colorado’s coronavirus trajectory been off? *All stats, film and analysis were done prior to the team’s 5/13/2021 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.*. But since the arrival of Carmelo Anthonyin 2003, the Nuggets managed to make it to the pla… For more betting advice on the NBA postseason, check out The Game Day’s NBA Playoffs coverage. It will air on ESPN. On offense, getting Kristaps Porzingis involved in space on a guard is a way to take advantage of where he is physically at this point of his career. What’s the moral of the story here? While they have a chance to climb as high as the two-seed, they are expected to finish in the fourth place spot, with just under an 80 percent chance. On this play, Monte Morris doesn’t do anything overly fancy, but he’s very aware of his advantage, and he blows by Porzingis to the rim. To celebrate the Denver Nuggets heading to the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Western Union will host a Drive-Thru tipoff event at Ball Arena. Not the way we all wanted it to go, but still a ton of series remaining. Keeping him away from the rim also opens up space for cutters behind him. That alone should make Jokic the landslide winner in MVP voting. In other words, Rivers isn’t the only Nugget expecting a long series. They finished on top of the Western Conference in the first two seasons in NBA. Thanks for reading our Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Game 1 Prop Bets Tips & Picks! Still, they say they’ll miss Murray, who averaged 31 points in the playoffs last year, when they face the sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Among guards with at least 100 attempts inside five feet, he ranks 10th at 65.8 percent. Build a wall inside the arc, and hope that you don’t get beaten from outside of it. In order to make Rivers’ sentiment a reality, the Nuggets identified three key areas to address heading into Monday night. Denver Nuggets came into the NBAin 1976 as one of the stronger sides at the time. So most of the people who are bowing down to the Nuggets and saying they will now make the playoffs are saying it only because of those false beliefs regarding high scoring point guards in general and an older Allen Iverson in particular. Less than 24 hours after dropping Game 1 to Portland late Saturday, the Nuggets professed confidence that their first-round series is far from over. Denver allowed five and-1s, and more generally, didn’t get the benefit of the whistle. They tend to let players play a little bit more, and they never want to be in the spotlight at the end of a game. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The Nuggets have one game remaining against the Blazers, but they have already clinched the season series. 6 seed in the Western Conference on Sunday with a 132-116 win over the Denver Nuggets, the same team they will face in the first round of the playoffs. Perhaps newcomer Austin Rivers said it best. The Utah Jazz know they have been knocked out of the opening round in consecutive years. “… If you’re going to foul somebody at the rim, you can’t let them make the layup and get the free throw. Even with the Murray injury, the Nuggets can still make it far. So, how do you combat that physicality? On this play, the defense is scrambling around, but it looks like controlled chaos. The Nuggets, who now have Morris back at full strength and are hoping to get Barton back soon, maintained their hold on the West’s No. It’s pretty obvious that Nikola Jokic will be the top player for the Nuggets in this series, as well as in the entire playoffs. 39.1 34.4 40. In their wins this season, the Mavericks shoot 39.1 percent from 3-point range. Go after Lillard on the defensive end. 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