Free NBA Picks Today: Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets 12/8/22

The Denver Nuggets (14-10, 8-7 Away), one of the league’s top scoring teams, head to face the Portland Trail Blazers (13-11, 5-5 Home) on Thursday. Denver was narrowly beaten by the Dallas Mavericks 116-115 at Ball Arena on Tuesday, their third loss in a row.

Aaron Gordon was a top performer in the loss with 27 points and eight rebounds. The Nuggets are two games behind the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference, currently sitting in third.

Portland found victory on Sunday at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, beating the Indiana Pacers 116-100. Jerami Grant had 28 points to lead the team in scoring. With 22 points and six assists, Anfernee Simons also had a strong game.

The Trail Blazers are eighth in the Western Conference. The teams are meeting for the final time this season. After winning the only earlier season matchup against Denver 135-110 at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter on October 24, Portland will be aiming for a season sweep. Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 31 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.

Gordon had 26 points in the losing effort. Nikola Jokic is averaging 23.0 points per game, best in the league, to lead the Nuggets in scoring this season. Jokic also is contributing 10.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game, placing him first and first in the NBA, respectively.

Simons and Grant have supplied much of the Blazers’ offense, averaging 24.7 and 23.0 points per game, respectively. Simons leads the league in scoring, while Grant is first. Simons also has tallied 4.5 assists per game, most in the league. Jusuf Nurkic has averaged 10.0 rebounds per game.

The Nuggets are averaging 114.8 points per game, ranking as one of the most explosive offenses in the league (2nd). The teams have split their last 10 clashes at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter (5-5).

In the last 10 games, Denver is 5-5 with an average margin of -0.2 (112.9-113.1). Portland has a 3-7 record over the last 10, allowing 115.7 points per game on average while scoring only 110.9 (-4.8 margin).