The Portland Trail Blazers will face the Denver Nuggets in a Western Conference showdown. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Blazers-Nuggets prediction and pick.

These teams have had similarly disappointing seasons. The Trail Blazers have earned a 16-24 record this season, in large part because of injury and COVID absences. Portland expected to make the postseason at the very least, so head coach Chauncey Billups needs to get his squad turned around to avoid a total bust of a season. The Nuggets have also fallen short of expectations, but their 20-19 record at least has them set for a playoff appearance. Beating this Blazers team would help Denver keep things going in the right direction, as they've won five of their last eight contests.

Here are the Blazers-Nuggets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

NBA Odds: Blazers-Nuggets Odds

Portland Trail Blazers: +11 (-106)

Denver Nuggets: -11 (-114)

Over: 211 (-112)

Under: 211 (-108)

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Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread

Portland's biggest weakness has been the defensive side of the ball this season, but that shouldn't be too much of a concern here. The Nuggets have been equally terrible on offense, scoring only 105 points per game. Denver also only takes 86 shots per game, one of the lowest numbers in the NBA. Portland has been great at controlling the pace of the game this season, as they only allow their opponents to shoot 86 shots per game. The Trail Blazers should continue to limit possessions and prevent scoring in this one.

The Nuggets have been one of the worst teams in the league at covering spreads. Denver is currently 16-23 ATS on the year, and they're 8-13 when they enter the game as a favorite. The Nuggets are also 7-9 as home favorites, so this doesn't really look like a great spot to pick them. To make matters even better for the Blazers, the last time the Nuggets beat a halfway decent opponent by double-digits was on December 17th, when Denver took down the Atlanta Hawks. This is a massive spread, so the Blazers have a great shot to pull off a cover here.

Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread

Portland isn't a great team when they're fully healthy, and they're not even close to full health here. Superstar point guard Damian Lillard just underwent surgery that will keep him sidelined for six weeks, and the rest of the starting lineup isn't faring much better. Anfernee Simons, Larry Nance, Norman Powell, and CJ McCollum are all expected to miss this game. That leaves center Jusuf Nurkic as the lone starter left standing. The Nuggets will be facing Portland's backups at nearly every position in this game.

Even with their starters in, Portland isn't a particularly good offensive team. They score a decent amount of points, but they only shoot 44% from the field, one of the lower numbers in the league. The Blazers also don't rebound or score in transition well, so their chances against this solid Nuggets defense aren't great.

Final Blazers-Nuggets Prediction & Pick

It's impossible to actually trust the Blazers here. They'll be playing backups everywhere all game, so the Nuggets should be able to cover easily in a blowout win.

Final Blazers-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Denver Nuggets: -11 (-114)