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The Portland Trail Blazers upset the Denver Nuggets thanks to a monstrous, 38-point quarter in Game 1 on Saturday and will look to steal another road game on Monday. Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. weren’t enough to keep up with the Blazers’ wealth of offensive weapons. Can the upcoming MVP’s squad bounce back before going to Portland? Let’s go over the best betting options at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Pick ATS: Nuggets -1.5
Denver led by 10 in its last game before Portland went on a ridiculous run, and both its best players were efficient and productive. Jokic and MPJ combined to score 59 points on 54% shooting. Jokic surprisingly only tallied one assist because of poor shooting from the role-players around him. Austin Rivers and Facundo Campazzo logged 35 minutes together but only made five field goals. The two guards have to pick up the slack for Jamal Murray and should step it up in Game 2 against one of the NBA’s poor defensive backcourts. I like Denver’s odds to even the series on its home court.
Player Prop: Nikola Jokic O7.5 assists
Jokic’s first playoff game of the year was an anomaly. The star big man only dished out one dime despite averaging 8.3 during the regular season. His passing has been on the downstroke since Jamal Murray got injured, but you shouldn't expect more underwhelming playing from one of the NBA’s best passers. Denver’s starting guards should look to take advantage of Portland’s weak defensive backcourt in this matchup.
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