It took them a while, but the No. 2 Denver Nuggets have advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs. They’ll host the No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers this Wednesday in the second game of their Western Conference semifinal; TNT has the opening tip at 9 PM ET. Game 1 of this series is Monday night (10:30 PM ET, TNT) at the Pepsi Center, with the Nuggets as 4-point favorites and the total set at 216.
Denver won their regular-season series 3-1 SU and ATS; the Nuggets took both of their home games straight-up while splitting the cash, and all four games went Over the posted total. These teams played twice after Portland center Jusuf Nurkic was lost for the season to a broken leg – Denver won both straight up and against the spread.
The Nurkic injury was supposed to doom Portland in their first-round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they made quick work of the Thunder in five games. Meanwhile the Nuggets needed the full seven to eliminate the San Antonio Spurs. However, the Blazers could be without center Enes Kanter after he suffered a separated shoulder in Game 5 versus Oklahoma City back on April 23.
