NBA Betting Picks: Denver Nuggets at Portland Blazers

In the late night game of the TNT double header, the Denver Nuggets will travel to Portland to play the Blazers in the Rose Garden.  Diamond Sportsbook International (DSI) has the latest NBA odds posted for this game and have the Blazers listed as home favorites for this contest.

The Denver Nuggets are having a decent start to the season but will be dealing with the soap opera that is Carmelo Anthony all year long. In the last game against the New York Knicks, the Nuggets blew a 16 point fourth quarter lead but held on for the victory by the final score of 120-118.

Afterwards the talk was not surrounding the game, but the possibility of Anthony playing for the Knicks next season. This should continue and get louder as the NBA season approaches the Feb. 24 trade deadline.

The Blazers have uncertainty for the future of one of their stars but not due to a trade, but an injury. In the last game out the Blazers squeaked by the Memphis Grizzlies and had to do it without the team’s most prolific scorer, Brandon Roy.

Wesley Matthews subbed in for Roy and performed brilliantly, scoring a career-high 30 points, 22 in the first half, as the he led the team to victory. Matthews shot 11 of 19 from the field, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range and played a tenacious defense, but the Blazers will still need Roy on the floor if they have any hopes of winning a NBA championship. Roy’s availability is uncertain for the game against the Nuggets but it was inspiring to see Matthews play so well in his absence.

The Nuggets have struggled mightily on the road as they are 3-12-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last 17 road games. The Nuggets are 2-11-2 ATS in their last 15 games playing on one day’s rest and 1-9-2 ATS in their last 12 road games against a team with a winning home record.

The Trail Blazers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against a team with a losing road record and the home team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings between these two teams.

The Blazers play very well at home and the Nuggets can’t seem to get it together on the road. The Blazers have found a suitable replacement in Matthews until Roy is healthy, and will get the win at home over the Nuggets.