The Portland Trail Blazers responded well to their Game 5 loss to set the stage for Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday, May 12 at 3:30 PM ET
Pepsi Center
Coverage: ABC
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Bookmaker
- Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets (-5.5 at -110)
- Over/Under: 212.5 at -110
Lillard, McCollum and Hood Pace Trail Blazers
👀 @Dame_Lillard (32), @CJMcCollum (30), & @rodneyhood (25) combine for 87 PTS as the @trailblazers win at home to send the series to a Game 7! #RipCity #NBAPlayoffs
Game 7: Sunday (5/12), Time: TBD
The Trail Blazers forced a Game 7 with an impressive 119-108 win in Game 6 against the Nuggets last Thursday. Damian Lillard finished with 32 points, five assists and three rebounds, CJ McCollum added 30 points, six rebounds and three assists and Rodney Hood went off for a playoff career-high 25 points in 32 minutes off the bench.
Nikola Jokic had 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Nuggets, Jamal Murray put up 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Paul Millsap added 17 points, six rebounds and three steals and Gary Harris finished with 15 points and five assists.
Defense and rebounding made a difference for the Trail Blazers in Game 6. They gave up 124 points in Game 5, the most in regulation during this playoffs. The Nuggets outrebounded them 62-43, with 52 of the 62 rebounds allowed being defensive rebounds off the 62 shots that the Trail Blazers missed.
The Trail Blazers made significant improvements in both areas in Game 6, they got outrebounded 44-43 but they let the Nuggets pull down just 28 defensive rebounds off their 48 missed shots while they grabbed 32 defensive rebounds off the 53 missed attempts from their opponent.
Rodney Hood scored a playoff career-high 25 PTS to help the Blazers force Game 7
Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless struggled in Game 6; Aminu scored seven points but he was just 1-for-4 from the free-throw line and he finished with a team-low -9 plus/minus (+/-) in 17 minutes while Harkless had just two points on 1 of 5 shooting in 16 minutes for a -8 plus/minus (+/-).
With Aminu and Harkless having off nights, Rodney Hood, the team’s third-leading scorer in this series, stepped up once again, delivering 25 points on 8-for-12 from the field and 3-for-4 from 3-point range, proving that he was always this good and just needed a chance to showcase his talent.
Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets Trends and Prediction
The Portland Trail Blazers are:
- 34-16-3 ATS in their last 53 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points
- 26-12 ATS in their last 38 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game
- 5-2 ATS in their last seven games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game
The Denver Nuggets are:
- No key trends
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum had 30-point games on Thursday and the Trail Blazers need them to have a similar type of performance if they want to win Game 7. Both players are tailor-made for the bright lights and if Aminu and Harkless get going and Hood continues to shine they will be in good shape on Sunday.
The Trail Blazers did a good job retooling their effort on defense and rebounding and if they keep that increased focus and energy they can advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Pick: Trail Blazers +5.5
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Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets Game 7 Prediction: Betting Odds, Line & Pick