Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Odds, Pick and Prediction for Thursday (Dec 8)

• Nuggets travel into Moda Center on Thursday, December 8th to take on the Trail Blazers
• Nuggets vs Trail Blazers odds list the home team as underdog
• Read below for betting analysis and best bets

The Denver Nuggets travel to Portland on Thursday, December 8th for 10 PM EST tip at the Moda Center. Denver are listed as short favorites in the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers odds.

The Nuggets have been playing well as of late, climbing up the Western Conference standings, and are only a game behind the conference-leading Phoenix Suns.

Both teams have avoided any major injuries this year, and for tonight only Michael porter and Jeff Green are GTD’s. Other than that both teams are fully healthy.

On paper, this game seems like an easy game for Nikola Jokic, but the Blazers have been competitive this year, claiming wins over the Suns, Pelicans, and Nuggets.

Read below for more betting insight into the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers odds, along with our best NBA betting pick.

Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Odds

Odds as of December 7 at BetMGM

Colorado sports betting markets list their in-state team as short favorites in the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers odds. New users who sign-up at BetMGM with promo code ‘OWNERSBOX’ can get a risk-free bet of up to $1,000 for any game. 

Denver Nuggets Betting Outlook

While the Nuggets are second in the Western Conference, they are not the best ATS, going 6-9 on the road so far. Denver comes into this matchup after a tough stretch of in-conference matchups. Having faced the likes of the Mavericks, Pelicans, and the Clippers, they will be looking to pick up a win over another conference rival.

he Blazers took down the Nuggets in their most previous matchup by 25 points. Both teams were fully healthy and Anfernee Simons played a big role in the win for the Blazers. His 29 points shooting 7/12 from 3 propelled the Blazers to the win.

Anfernee Simons was on one vs. the Nuggets scoring 22 points in the third quarter alone 🔥 pic.twitter.com/39iIsrOX43

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 25, 2022

With Michael Porter Jr. harboring a foot injury and Jeff Green being the only other notable GTD, the Nuggets should be near full strength again, and would like to continue their form into Portland.

The Blazers defense is nothing to write home about, but they have always been able to lock up Jokic. Being able to hold him to only 17 PPG over their last five matchups. However, their weakness is clearly the other forwards, holding bottom-5 places in PPG for both SF’s and PF’s.

So look to Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown for some props in this game due to their favorable matchup.

Portland Trail Blazers Betting Outlook

The Blazers started out well ATS at home but have since fallen off. They have failed to cover in each of their last 4 home matchups. However, they are 3-4 ATS at home when Damian Lillard does play, which is important to keep in mind ahead of this matchup.

Lillard looks set to go for this one and when the All-Star does suit up, the Blazers are 5-7 outright. Compare that to their 8-4 record with Dame and his absence is obvious.

With Lillard appearing to be fully back from his calf injury, and guys like Simons, Grant, and Nurkic all playing well, the Blazers are a threat to any team due to their many options on offense.

Denver’s defense is arguably top-10 when healthy, allowing the 10th fewest PPG overall to opponents. Similar to Portland though, the Nuggets struggle against forwards, which is surprising considering their size.

Jerami Grant would be the best look in this matchup, with him posting 29 and 21 in his last two bouts with Jokic. Another look would be Anfernee Simons. Averaging 25 PPG this year and 31.5 PPG over his last 4 games.

Nuggets vs Trail Blazers Odds and Pick

With both teams looking to pick up wins against conference rivals, this game should stay close. The spread of (insert spread) seems too short for me, considering Portland’s recent results. My best bet for this game is Portland +1 in the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers odds. With Portland fully healthy I don’t see Denver being able to keep up with Portland’s explosive offense through 4 quarters.

Users in the Old Line State can download the Caesars Sportsbook Maryland app and claim an exclusive offer with promo code OWNERSBOXPICS. 

I will be watching the line heavily throughout the night and day tomorrow. Sites like Covers and VSiN.com are great resources for this and I use them almost daily.

Pick: Trail Blazers +1.0 (-110) at BetMGM