Best Nuggets vs. Blazers Game 3 Player Prop Picks (May 27, 2021)

On Thursday night, the Portland Trail Blazers will play host to the Denver Nuggets for Game 3 of their first round series in the Western Conference playoffs.

Let’s take a closer look at the top Nuggets vs. Blazers Game 3 player prop picks and make some predictions for this May 27, 2021 NBA Playoffs matchup.

Nuggets vs. Blazers Game 3 Player Props (May 27, 2021)

The Western Conference’s first round matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers has lived up to the hype thus far. Portland flipped the series on its head and mitigated the homecourt advantage Denver earned as the #3 seed with a 123-109 road victory in Game 1. Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić put together an impressive 38 point, 8 rebound, 5 assist performance, while Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard went off for 42 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds in the loss.

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The series now moves to the Moda Center, where Lillard will look to build off two consecutive strong road showings with his home crowd behind him. Nikola Jokić will look to regain the series lead for his squad with forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon along side him in the Denver frontcourt.

Will MVP finalist Nikola Jokić make his presence felt and deliver a road victory or will Damian Lillard’s impressive scoring lead his team to a home victory in Game 3?

 

Norman Powell to Score Over 15.5 Points (-152, FanDuel Sportsbook)

Norman Powell has been a steady scorer for the Portland Trail Blazers this year, averaging 18.6 points per game in the regular season to go with 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Powell has shot a slightly lower percentage from beyond the arc at home (39.2%) versus on the road (42.6%), but his points per game at home (18.8) in 31.6 minutes per game exceeds his production on the road (18.5) in 32.3 minutes of action.

In three regular season games against the Nuggets this season, Powell averaged 19.3 points per game. Although he hasn’t cleared the 15.5 threshold in the first two games of this series, it’s worth noting that a positive home trend exists that should continue to play out.

Norman Powell has scored at least 16 points in nine of his last ten games at home dating back to April 11. Although Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are sure to get the lion’s share of field goal attempts, we expect Powell to get around 10-13 field goal attempts in this contest and total over 15.5 points at the Moda Center.

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Damian Lillard to Make Over 4.5 Three-Point Field Goals (-113, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Damian Lillard’s 34-point, 13-assist performance on the road in Game 1 was enough to propel the Portland Trail Blazers to an upset victory. In doing so, the Trail Blazers were able to silence the crowd in Portland and flip homecourt advantage in this series. Lillard somehow raised his game to another level in Game 2, dropping 42 points while dishing out 10 assists in a 19-point loss.

If you’re looking to take advantage of a player prop built on the back of one of the best distance shooters in the NBA, this is the one to get in on. Lillard followed up a 5-12 performance from beyond the arc in Game 1 with a ridiculous 9-16 showing from downtown in Game 2. Dating back to the regular season, Lillard has hit at least five three-point field goals in seven of his last 10 games, including in each of his last three games against the Nuggets.

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Michael Porter Jr. to Record Under 32.5 Combined Points, Rebounds, and Assists (-125, FOX Bet)

When Denver taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 draft, a number of injury concerns dogged the former #2 high school recruit including issues with his back. It was a long-term play that was met with plenty of skepticism, but it’s paid dividends for the Nuggets this season. Virtually every traditional metric jumped from his rookie season in 2019-20 to his sophomore season in 2020-21. Porter’s 19 points per game were the third-highest mark for Denver, while his 7.3 rebounds per game were the second-most. After Jamal Murray sustained a torn ACL in April, it became apparent just how big of a step Porter would need to take to make up for Murray’s scoring loss. He’s done well thus far through two postseason games averaging 21.5 points (2nd) to go with 6.5 rebounds (3rd) per game.

However, there are reasons to consider betting against Porter Jr to go over 32.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists. Home/road splits from the regular season aren’t always indicative of future results in the postseason, but Porter Jr averaged fewer points (17.9), rebounds (6.9), and assists (1.0) on the road than at home this season. Perhaps more concerning were his splits against the Trail Blazers this season, as he averaged just 12.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist per game against Portland in three contests.

Although he crossed the 32.5 threshold by 1.5 in Game 1, his nine rebounds in that contest were the most he had pulled down since April 14. He’s failed to dish out more than three assists in each of his last nine games dating back to May 3. Combine this with the added pressure of playing at the Moda Center and it could spell trouble.

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