We are officially in the stretch-run of the NBA regular season! The defending champion Denver Nuggets will look to get things started off on the right foot when they head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. Let's check out our NBA odds series where our Nuggets-Trail Blazers prediction and pick will be revealed.

Heading into the All-Star Break, the Nuggets found themselves reeling a bit with three consecutive losses that dropped their record to 36-19 overall. Certainly, it wasn't the end to the first-half of the season that Denver would've liked, but with a whole lot of rest since the, there is no question that the Nuggets will be locked and loaded for the final 27 games of the campaign.

On the other side of things, the Trail Blazers are in full rebuild mode and their recent play only reiterates that. As it stands, Portland is 0n a six-game losing streak and currently own the second-worst record in all of the Western Conference with a 15-39 mark. Simply put, it has been trying times in The City of Roses and they are clearly quite a ways from competing anytime soon. Nevertheless, will it be in the cards for the Trail Blazers to pull off the shocking upset post-All-Star Break in front of the home crowd?

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Nuggets-Trail Blazers Odds

Denver Nuggets: -9.5 (-106)

Moneyline: -420

Portland Trail Blazers: +9.5 (-114)

Moneyline: +330

Over: 218 (-110)

Under: 218 (-110)

How to Watch Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers

Time: 10:00 ET/7:00 PT

TV: Altitude Sports

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread/Win

Although Denver enters this contest as heavy favorites, they will still need to extremely attentive to every little detail in order to overcome the Trail Blazers in their own building. Without a doubt, Portland is never an easy place to play no matter how the Blazers appear to be, and the last thing the Nuggets can afford to do is overlook them especially on a three-game losing streak.

Overall, the Nuggets have already dealt with a boatload of adversity this season. Not only is the Western Conference as a whole much-improved from a year ago, but the injury bug has stuck its teeth into Denver's roster more often than not during this regular season. Yes, the Nuggets have avoided any devastating setbacks to their main core, but small and nagging injuries have prevented this squad from finding their rhythm. Despite this, Denver is an impressive 24-8 when all five starters from last year's championship crew are healthy and in the lineup. On paper, the Nuggets are far more talented than the Blazers and have to find a way to take care of business as they trail the one-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves by a full three games in the Western Conference Standings.

Not to mention, but the Nuggets are one of the better teams in all of the NBA on the second of a back-to-back's. Certainly, the Trail Blazers are a young and hungry team looking for a win, but as long as Denver puts in the necessary effort to defend and hits their open shots, then they should be able to take care of business.

Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread/Win

No question, it will be a difficult task for this lousy Trail Blazers team to shock the Nuggets, but crazier things have happened!

For starters, Portland cannot afford to play anything other than the perfect game, and in order to pull that off, Portland will need all hands on deck to come away with a spread-covering victory. Indeed, it all starts with leading scorer Jerami Grant who has become one of the more underrated but consistent scorers in the game today. The son of former baller Harvey Grant and the nephew of NBA great Horace Grant, the 29-year-old Syracuse product is averaging 21.7 points per game to lead Portland. In addition, Grant is only three games removed from nearly dropping a 50-burger on the Detroit Pistons when he managed to score a whopping 49 points on 50% shooting from deep. Obviously, Grant is the type of man that can get hot in a hurry, and there is no excuse for the Blazers to feed him the rock more often than not.

While others will also need to step up for Portland to come out victorious and snap their lengthy losing streak, but storming out of the gates in the opening quarter will be vital for this team's chances. Last time out against the Timberwolves before the break, the Blazers were dominated in the first frame by a combined score of 44-14 en route to a 128-91 loss to the top team in the West. Against another championship contender in the Nuggets, the Trail Blazers cannot afford to be flat-footed starting with the opening tip-off.

Final Nuggets-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick

As much as it would be fun to root for the underdog Trail Blazers, the only saving grace that Portland has in covering the spread is hoping that Denver is extremely fatigued from playing Washington the night before. At the end of the day, it will be smart to side with the Nuggets in this one.

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Final Nuggets-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick: Nuggets -9.5 (-106)