Finally back in the win column
The 15-8 Denver Nuggets began a five-game homestand on Friday by cruising past the Portland Trail Blazers, 114-99. Hopefully, the win made them regain some lost footing as they are coming off a stretch where they dropped five out of six games.
Jamal Murray got an injury scare in his thigh during the week but has returned since. With 17.1 points and 4.5 assists per game on the season, he remains as the top scoring option in Denver’s scattered scoring attack. Though not quite productive compared to seasons past, Nikola Jokic will also be primed for a lot of attention. He’s looking to build off a strong play in his last four, where he has netted 22.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on 53.6%-shooting.
Will Barton, Paul Millsap, and Gary Harris round out the main scoring rotation of the Nuggets. All three are averaging double-digit points, and as evident to the core’s team-oriented approach, each has logged a 20-point game within the team’s last seven games.
The Nuggets are 9-3 at home this season.
Looking to return in the win column
The Oklahoma City Thunder had their three-game winning streak snapped on Thursday as they lost to the Sacramento Kings, 94-93. They hold an 11-13 record and place seventh in the Western Conference standings.
Like the Nuggets, the Thunder offense is also distributing the scoring load to multiple players. Four guys are currently averaging over 15 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari act as the main scorers as both are logging over 18 PPG, Dennis Schroder is coming off the bench for 16.8 PPG, and Chris Paul is at 15.7 PPG while dishing out 6.1 APG. Steven Adams, OKC’s man in the middle, is averaging 10.9 and 9.3 boards on 61%-shooting.
Schroder has been effective in his role as the sixth man. He has scored 20 or more in four of his last seven games, chipping in 21.4 points on a 50.4% shooting clip in that span.
Though the Thunder are only 4-8 on the road, they are an interesting match-up against the Nuggets because they too like to slow the game down (24th in pace). The defense is also pretty decent as it ranks 10th in points allowed (107.2 PPG).
PREDICTION:
The Nuggets win a relatively low-scoring affair, 99-94.
