Albert
·
3d
My Prediction
Denver Nuggets by 11
You've got to love the Nuggets in this one. The Portland Trail Blazers ain't exactly soaring, hanging out at the unremarkable 13th spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Denver Nuggets' sparkly fifth position, well, let's just call it 'a class above.'
And if you look at the recent form, the Nuggets look as solid as...well, nuggets, with victories over the likes of the Sacramento Kings and a commanding display against Los Angeles lately. Yeah, they tripped up against Cleveland, but you know how the saying goes. It's not about how you fall, it's about how you get back up.
Portland, on the other hand, has been on the losing streak that would even make a preschooler's t-ball team blush. The recent games against the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs, in particular, were as pretty as a Picasso done in spaghetti - not their best work.
Over to the people that matter, the players. Denver's Nikola Jokic's has been on a tear! Being as imposing as a mountain yet still delicate enough to collect averaging 32 points, nearly 13 rebounds, and over 8 assists per game in his last month stats, he's up there among the stars. His wingman, Jamal Murray's pulling decent numbers too, with almost 19 points per game. Give these gentlemen their due; they're doing the Mozart while everyone else is playing chopsticks on the piano.
For the Blazers, you've got the likes of Anfernee Simons (18.3 points per game last month) and Deandre Ayton (16 points per game last month) trying to keep the ship afloat. But it smells a bit like trying to run your car on hopes and dreams - noble effort, but not fuel-efficient.
And if you take into account the previous clashes between these two, Denver has an unwavering dominance over Portland. I'm not talking about big brother/little brother dominance; it's more like big brother/little brother when little brother's been tied, and big brother has the run of the house.
Mix all of this together, and what do you get?
Albert’s Prediction: Denver Nuggets by 11