Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Odds, Picks, Predictions: Will Simons Keep Dominating Denver?
The Denver Nuggets travel to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday for an intriguing Western Conference clash. Check out our top Nuggets-Trail Blazers NBA picks based on the latest odds.
The Nuggets are first in their division at 14-10, but the team is on a three-game losing skid. Denver will visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, who are on a two-game winning streak.
The Nuggets just lost a heartbreaker to the Dallas Mavericks at home. They're listing 3-and-D starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as questionable, and Denver is still without Michael Porter Jr.
The Trail Blazers are on three days of rest, and star point guard Damian Lillard will be back. But two-way wing Josh Hart is questionable, and several other bench pieces are dealing with injury designations.
Here are our top picks for the Nuggets-Trail Blazers NBA matchup (odds via Caesars Sportsbook; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
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Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Game Info
Date: Thursday, Dec. 8, 10 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Location: Moda Center, Portland, OR
Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Odds
Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Odds Analysis
This Western Conference battle has been sitting as a near pick‘em game on the books.
After opening as 1-point underdogs, the Trail Blazers are now the one-point favorites, with about an even split of public tickets on each side against the spread. However, 62% of the public moneyline bets are on the Trail Blazers, which could explain some of the line movement in favor of Portland.
As for the total, the line has now moved up from 226 to 227.5. There's been two-way action, with 56% of the cash on the Under, and 52% of the tickets on the Over.
Check out our top sports betting sites in Colorado.
Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Pick
Anfernee Simons Over 22.5 points (-113) ★★★★
I'm not exposing my bankroll to a game result here. Instead, I'm turning to a player prop as my best bet.
With Lillard back in the Trail Blazers' lineup, the skilled guard Anfernee Simons will serve as Portland’s No. 2 option on offense. Simons has scored 23-plus points in six of the 12 games when the two star guards start together in 2022-23, and in four of seven at home.
The Nuggets have allowed the 11th-most points per game to shooting guards. More importantly, they've given up the sixth-highest field goals made per game from the above the break 3-point area, where Simons attempts 52% of his shots.
Lillard led from the front with 31 points and eight assists when these teams last met in October in the same building. But Simons still found himself 17 field-goal attempts while cruising over this line, finishing with 29 points.
With more defensive attention again on Lillard and the Nuggets missing some rotation depth due to injuries, Simons shouldn't struggle to cash the Over against Denver again.
Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Best Odds
Caesars Sportsbook (-113)
| FanDuel | DraftKings | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
| -120 | -115 | -115 | -113 | -120 |
The best sportsbook to use for this prop is Caesar at the implied price of 53.1%. This line is unlikely to move up further, barring last-minute injury news. Take the Over up to a -125 price.
Where to Bet on Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers Picks
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
Nuggets-Trail Blazers picks made 12/8/2022 at 11:16 a.m. ET.
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