Stop the presses. The Portland Trail Blazers have won 10 of their last 12 games and appear extremely functional on both ends of the floor.
There are still weaknesses, and perhaps the Blazers should have made some trades to sell off some veterans and improve their draft selection going forward, but they seem to be going the other direction. They’re playing small, versatile basketball anchored by the number one defense in the NBA over their last 12 games. Long, athletic, and intelligent defenders are peppered up and down their rotation, as well as this past season’s seventh overall pick in rookie Donovan Clingan off the bench.
Can the Denver Nuggets finish up their pre All-Star break schedule with two home wins against the Blazers?
Let’s delve back into the Portland Trail Blazers matchup:
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Portland: Anfernee Simons, Toumani Camara, Jerami Grant, Deni Avdija, Deandre Ayton
Key Bench Players
Denver: Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, Hunter Tyson, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan
Portland: Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, Kris Murray, Robert Williams III, Donovan Clingan
Notable Injuries
Denver: Michael Porter Jr. – QUESTIONABLE, Jamal Murray – PROBABLE, Aaron Gordon – PROBABLE, Russell Westbrook – OUT, Peyton Watson – OUT, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
Portland: Jerami Grant – QUESTIONABLE, Robert Williams – QUESTIONABLE, Kris Murray – PROBABLE, Matisse Thybulle – OUT
Key for the Nuggets – Nothing Easy Defensively
Against the Phoenix Suns, it was pretty easy to focus in on what the Nuggets needed to do in guarding a smaller team: get the rotations right and protect the three-point line. Denver did that after the first quarter, and the Suns folded.
Against the Blazers, a bigger, more athletic and slashing frontcourt, the Nuggets must do a good job of protecting the rim and avoiding fouls. Portland’s defense has improved enough that this is going to be a serious matchup. Last time these two teams played the Nuggets didn’t take defense seriously, and they got burned at the buzzer by Anfernee Simons on one of the easiest game-winning layups of the year.
Denver must lock in defensively, force Portland to take tougher shots, and capitalize in transition on the other end of the floor.
Important Matchup – Jamal Murray vs Toumani Camara
Murray, fresh off a 30-point performance against the shoddy perimeter defense of the Phoenix Suns, faces a real challenge against Portland tonight. Toumani Camara is one of the most impressive perimeter defenders in the NBA, and he’s in just his second year. Camara has great length and athleticism as a defensive wing, and he plays like the energizer bunny on both ends of the floor. Players like that can bother Murray, especially if the Nuggets guard doesn’t feel like he can generate a clean shot on the perimeter.
If Camara forces Murray to second guess himself throughout the game, those possessions will turn into bad shots or turnovers. If Murray can get to his spots and hit cleanly generated looks consistently, that will force the Blazers to adjust more coverage to Murray, leaving others open consistently.
Number of the Day – 77.5
77.5% is the Denver Nuggets free throw percentage on the season. That currently ranks 22nd in the NBA, which is up from 75.8% from the free throw line in the 31 games during 2024 when it ranked in the bottom five. In 2025, the Nuggets are shooting 80.3% from the free throw line, which ranks 10th during that stretch. It’s a marked improvement, though the Nuggets are also attempting fewer free throws.
A few notable changes in that stretch: the injury to Russell Westbrook, who’s shooting 64.1% from the free throw line on the year, as well as Michael Porter Jr. improving from 69.9% from the line in 2024 to 81.1% in 2025. Christian Braun is also shooting an impressive 88.5% in 2025, while Jamal Murray is at 93.4% himself.
Nugget who should have a good game: Christian Braun
The calculus here is simple. If Michael Porter Jr. plays, one of Jerami Grant or Deni Avdija guards him. The other will guard Aaron Gordon. Toumani Camara will guard Jamal Murray.
That leaves Anfernee Simons to guard Christian Braun, which is a major advantage for Denver. The back cuts and driving lanes are going to be crowded by help defenders, but if Braun gets a full head of steam in transition or downhill on a dribble handoff, there’s little Simons can do with that.
This has potential to be a pretty big number for Braun scoring wise, and if he can stay attached defensively to Simons on the perimeter, there will be transition opportunities following turnovers or missed shots.
