Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets Picks and Prediction for Sunday March 22 2026
Use Code WWWC The Sunday NBA schedule will get started with a matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets from Ball Arena. The Trail Blazers have won four of their last five games and are quietly moving up the Western Conference standings. Portland owns an overall record of 35 wins and 36 losses. The Nuggets have won three of their previous five games to move their record on the season to 43 wins and 28 losses. Read more about this Portland vs Denver prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NBA Predictions!
- Game day: Sunday, March 22, 2026
- Game time: 5:00 pm ET
- Location: Denver, CO
- Arena: Ball Arena
- TV channel: NBA TV
Portland making a late surge in the Western Conference
The Portland Trail Blazers placed head coach Chauncey Billups on indefinite leave as part of a gambling investigation, but interim coach Tiago Splitter has done a great job keeping things together. The Trail Blazers are looking to snap a four-year playoff drought and have not won a playoff series since 2019. Portland ranks 17th in the league in defensive efficiency by Hollinger's NBA Team Statistics and is giving up 117.1 points per contest. The Trail Blazers are three games below .500 on the road and are clinging to a half-game lead for eighth place in the Western Conference standings. On Friday, converted 21-of-24 free-throw attempts to seal a 108-104 road victory against Minnesota.
First-time NBA All-Star Deni Avdija leads eight Portland players averaging double figures with 24.2 points per game. Avdija also stuffs the stat-sheet nightly with 7.0 rebounds and a team-high 6.6 assists. Fourth-year pro Shaedon Sharpe is averaging a career-best 21.4 points for the Trail Blazers. Veterans Jerami Grant (18.6 ppg) and Jrue Holiday (16.1 ppg) are still producing quite nicely.
Key Injury Report for Portland:
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- Vit Krejci (out) - calf
- Shaedon Sharpe (out) - calf
- Damian Lillard (out) - Achilles
Denver must get better on the defensive end of the floor
The Denver Nuggets have been eliminated from the playoffs in the second round the last two seasons and are looking to win their first title since 2023. The Nuggets lead the league in offensive efficiency by Hollinger's NBA Team Statistics and are scoring a shade above 120 points per game. For Denver to make a deep postseason run, they will have to tighten up a defense that ranks in the bottom third of the league. The Nuggets have won 20 of their first 33 home games and are locked in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Western Conference standings. On Friday, Denver outscored Toronto by 15 points over the final 12 minutes to escape with a 121-116 home victory.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is an unstoppable force for the Nuggets. The thirty-one year old Serbian is currently averaging a triple-double with 28.1 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 10.5 assists. The rebound and assists numbers lead the NBA and somehow Jokic is third in MVP betting odds behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama. All-Star G Jamal Murray is scoring a career-best 25.2 points per game while shooting 42 percent from long distance.
Key Injury Report for Denver:
- Peyton Watson (out) - hamstring
Portland vs Denver Pick
Portland vs Denver Spread Pick
- Pick: Portland Spread
This is always a highly-competitive battle between these two division rivals. Portland leads Denver with a 105-100 record all-time and they have split their two meetings this season. The Trail Blazers are 22-19 ATS as an underdog and the Nuggets are 24-26 ATS as a favorite. Portland is the better defensive team and has a slight edge on the glass. Take the points.
Portland vs Denver Over/Under Pick
- Pick: Over
Portland plays at the eighth fastest tempo in the NBA and is averaging 116 points during their current three-game winning streak. Denver is poetry in motion on offense and has scored at least 120 points in six of their previous seven games. The Nuggets are the most profitable over team in the league 43-28 O/U and the Trail Blazers are 37-34 O/U. Take the over.
Final Score Prediction: Denver Nuggets win 125-122
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