Blazers -5
Two of the top teams in the Western Conference, in the Blazers and Nuggets, face off in the Rose City of Portland. I came into the season fairly high on both teams but I had the Blazers going to the WC finals versus the Thunder.
I'm not a big believer of the Nuggets on the road, mostly due to the fact they don't have a true go to guy. Blazers on the other hand have Aldridge a budding superstar that can post and face up at will.
While the Blazers have lost B. Roy and G. Oden; they added a great a versatile player in G. Wallace at the end of last year, a solid pg in R. Felton and proven scorer/facilitator in J. Crawford.
Denver's wins this season have come versus a current woeful Dallas team along with doormats in Utah. Blazers conversely handled the 76er's for 40 mins, a tough team that "back doored" the cover due to some late 3's. Blazers also ran the floor with the up and coming Kings after Sac town hung around first half.
Match up wise...Lawson will be trouble for the Blazers, but I see Wallace's defensive prowess holding Gallanari down and Aldridge using his height and footwork to get Nene in foul trouble.
The fact that this spread opened up higher than -4 for two fairly even teams solidifies my strong lean towards the Blazers.
Projected score DEN 97 POR 106
BOL to whatever you choose!
I'm not a big believer of the Nuggets on the road, mostly due to the fact they don't have a true go to guy. Blazers on the other hand have Aldridge a budding superstar that can post and face up at will.
While the Blazers have lost B. Roy and G. Oden; they added a great a versatile player in G. Wallace at the end of last year, a solid pg in R. Felton and proven scorer/facilitator in J. Crawford.
Denver's wins this season have come versus a current woeful Dallas team along with doormats in Utah. Blazers conversely handled the 76er's for 40 mins, a tough team that "back doored" the cover due to some late 3's. Blazers also ran the floor with the up and coming Kings after Sac town hung around first half.
Match up wise...Lawson will be trouble for the Blazers, but I see Wallace's defensive prowess holding Gallanari down and Aldridge using his height and footwork to get Nene in foul trouble.
The fact that this spread opened up higher than -4 for two fairly even teams solidifies my strong lean towards the Blazers.
Projected score DEN 97 POR 106
BOL to whatever you choose!