The Portland Trail Blazers got the quality win they needed on Wednesday to keep a run at the play-in a topic of sincere conversation. The two teams immediately ahead of them, the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns, are both a hot mess in various way. You don’t have to squint too hard to see a path for the Blazers to make the play-in at this point. Still, the fact is that you can’t gain ground if you don’t win games. Like with Wednesdays’ 115-99 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies, a win on Friday against the Denver Nuggets would be huge for confidence and could see the Blazers inch closer to post-season play.
The Nuggets haven’t clinched anything yet, but for all practical purposes they’ve punched their ticket to the playoffs some time ago. There is real drama though in the seeding. A good run for Denver could see them as high as second place in the West at the end of the regular season. A bad run and they could find themselves in fifth place or worse. The injury bug however is making things difficult however. With Nikola Jokic out for sure and Jamal Murray a question, the Blazers certainly won’t be facing Denver at their very best. The smart money is still on Denver to take this one, but it might not be as easy as it was for Denver the last two times these two teams met. The Nuggets certainly weren’t a match for the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. The Lakers jumped on the Nuggets and won 120-108, a score that flatter Denver as they took advantage of garbage time to make the end result somewhat less embarrassing.
Portland Trail Blazers (31-39) vs Denver Nuggets (44-26) - Fri. Mar. 20 - 7:00pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else
Trail Blazers injuries: Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Jabari Walker (out), Jerami Grant (doubtful)
Nuggets injuries: Nikola Jokic, DaRon Holmes II, Julian Strawther (out), Jamal Murray (questionable), Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun (probable)
Blazer’s Edge Reader Questions
OnPinsAndWheels:
Have we just been stashing RW3 for the end stretch/playoffs and now that meaningful BBall is being played (starting now against the Nugs), will we break the glass and let him Time Lord us to a title?
This question was written before the news dropped, but Robert Williams III is unlikely to see the court again this season. It’s more injury blues for the extremely talented Williams. After playing in only six games last season he’ll most likely finish this season with just 20 appearances. As fun as it would have been to imagine there was some multi-level chess being played by the front office, it’s just an injury.
Tiparillo:
The big one of course is Jokic, who won’t be available. Jamal Murray is on the list as well with a questionable designation, but given the importance of this game it seems likely that Murray will give this a go unless you is hurt more than we are led to believe. Just avoiding Jokic is huge but otherwise I don’t think Denver will be in terrible shape.
TheLongHotWinter:
One of the mythical trades that is discussed is Aaron Gordon (Magic) for Anfernee. Assuming the rest of the rosters remained the same how would that impact the likelihood of a win for the Blazers on Friday?
While he hasn’t always been amazing this season, Simons is still the best shooter from deep on the team. The Blazers are 25th in the NBA in shooting percentage from three so the Blazers would miss Simons tremendously. While his percentage isn’t as good as it was in 2021-22 and 2022-23, he’s not sneaking up on teams any more and a certain Damian Lillard isn’t drawing away outsized defensive attention. Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara have become bigger deep threats as the season has progressed, so maybe it’s easier to picture a team without Simons. But truthfully this team needs more outside shooting rather than less, so losing Simons would leave a mark, at least in the short term.
What to Watch For
Hit ‘em hard and fast. That’s what the Lakers did on Wednesday. Denver came out lethargic and making mistakes and LA stole their lunch money. One would think that Denver will be more prepared for the Blazers, but it would be malpractice to not be ready to take advantage of any loose passes or sloppy ball handling early. And if the Blazers can jar the ball loose they should be ready to break. Smack ‘em in the mouth and see if Denver is ready for the smoke.
What Others Are Saying
Tim MacMahon of ESPN quotes Nuggets coach Mike Malone on the idea that Jokic is being rested.
“I think that’s just a bunch of bulls---,” Malone said. “I mean, in the last 10 years, Nikola Jokic has played the second-most games in the NBA. Ten years. And the guys in that top 10, none of them are superstars.
“So, if Nikola is not playing, it’s not because he’s sitting. It’s not because he needs rest. It’s because he’s hurt and he’s trying to play through things that most wouldn’t. We’re at a point right now where we have to do what’s best for not just Nikola but for all our guys as we move forward and try to close out this season.”
Vegas seems to know who the MVP will be, but Bill Reiter of CBS Sports reports that the actual people who will vote aren’t nearly as sure as to whether it will be the favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Nikola Jokic.
Conversations with other NBA media members who are likely to vote for the award this year revealed a similar reality: A brutally close vote, a headache-inducing choice between two players who each deserve this award, and a sense of exasperation and confusion that so many, Vegas included, think this thing is already decided. Many leaned SGA. But almost as many, when pushed, went the other way.
Christian Braun talks to ESPN’s Malika Andrews about his role this season and playing without Jokic and Murray.