The Trail Blazers head into Denver with a strong early-season profile and a matchup that should test one of the Nuggets’ biggest strengths. Portland is 4-1 and third in the Western Conference after opening its road trip with a convincing win over the Utah Jazz. Denver, at 3-2, is eighth in the West and has already split its first five games with wins over the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns, plus losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors.
On the individual side, Portland has leaned on Deni Avdija, who leads the team at 23.0 points per game. Damian Lillard follows at 19.2.
Donovan Clingan has been the Blazers’ top rebounder and rim protector, averaging nine rebounds and two blocks per game, while Avdija also leads the club in assists at 5.6 per game. Toumani Camara is Portland’s steals leader at 1.4 per game.
Denver’s offense runs through Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Murray is averaging 25.8 points per game, while Jokic is at 21.2.
Jokic also leads the Nuggets in rebounds, assists and blocks, posting 9.8 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. Christian Braun is Denver’s top steals man at 2.4 per game.
This is the first meeting of four between the teams this season, with two games set at each site. Last year, the Nuggets took the season series 3-1 and delivered a 54-point blowout in Portland.
The Blazers still own the all-time edge, 105-102, but they’ve dropped three straight to Denver and 11 in a row on the road. Portland’s last win in Denver came on August 6, 2019, a 125-115 result.
The broader numbers from Cleaning The Glass paint Portland as one of the league’s most efficient teams so far. The Blazers rank second in the NBA in points scored per 100 possessions at 121.3, 10th in points allowed per 100 possessions at 109.6 and fourth in efficiency differential at +11.7. Denver sits much lower across the board, ranking 18th in points scored per 100 possessions at 111.0, 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions at 113.2 and 18th in efficiency differential at -2.3.
One of the most interesting battlegrounds here is the offensive glass. Portland allows the fewest second chance points per game in the league at 10.6, and the Blazers are also second in opponent offensive rebound percentage at 23.8. Denver, meanwhile, ranks 15th in offensive rebounds at 12.0 per game, but still manages to produce 18.6 second chance points per contest, which is third in the NBA according to HoopsJunkie.
That’s the Nuggets’ trick: they don’t need a flood of offensive boards to make teams pay. Cleaning The Glass has Denver second in putback points per 100 missed field goals at 25.1, ninth in putback plays generated per 100 missed goals at 16.7 and second in points scored per 100 putback plays at 147.1.
Portland has been sturdy in that area too. The Blazers rank sixth in putback points allowed per 100 missed field goals at 13.1, eighth in allowed putback plays generated per 100 missed goals at 12.9 and ninth in points allowed per 100 putback plays at 100.0. If they keep Denver from turning missed shots into extra possessions, they can take away a key part of the Nuggets’ offense.
In Other News...
Blazers Rotation Battle Is Already Getting Hard To Ignore
The Trail Blazers kept rolling with a 112-90 win over the Jazz, their fourth victory in five games, and the night offered another snapshot of how crowded this rotation picture has become. Deni Avdija led Portland in scoring for the fourth straight game, Toumani Camara kept spacing the floor with his 3-point touch, and Jrue Holiday gave the second unit a lift in a performance that stood out as the team continues to sort out its best combinations.
Not every piece fit as cleanly. Donovan Clingan ran into foul trouble, while Vit Krejci had a rough shooting night, reminders that the Blazers are still working through the details even as the results improve. With Ja Morant sidelined by a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Portlands recent stretch has only sharpened the competition for minutes, and the way this group balances production, defense and lineup fit is becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Scoot Henderson Trade Talk Just Got Real For The Blazers
The Hornets early-season shakeup has already put the trade market on alert, and it could have ripple effects for Portland. Charlottes move to send LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Naz Reid and multiple draft picks left the roster in a very different place, and with a 3-4 record, the Hornets may not be done dealing before the February deadline.
For the Trail Blazers, the name to watch is Scoot Henderson. Portland could emerge as a potential trade partner if Charlotte decides to move Reid, with the idea of Henderson heading the other way in a deal that would address needs for both sides. Nothing is imminent, but the possibility alone is enough to make this one worth tracking as the deadline picture starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Fast Start Just Raised A Bigger Question About This Team
The early-season surge has pushed Portland into a far more interesting spot than anyone expected, with the Trail Blazers climbing seven places to No. 9 in the latest NBC Sports NBA Power Rankings. In a week when Memphis stayed unbeaten and a handful of Western Conference teams shuffled around them, Portlands rise stands out because it has come while the league keeps sorting itself out around injuries, hot streaks and abrupt slide-backs.
For the Blazers, the ranking bump is less about a single headline-grabbing result than the broader sense that they have earned real traction in the opening stretch. Golden State and Dallas also made notable moves in the West, but Portlands climb invites a bigger question about what this start actually means once the schedule tightens and the standings settle into something more revealing. [Read more 🡒]