The second game of the Thursday NBA on TNT doubleheader features a rematch of an epic 2019 Western Conference semifinal series back in May as the Portland Trail Blazers visit the site of their humongous upset over last year’s No. 2 seed in the West, the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. EST.
This matchup captures more storylines than one. Carmelo Anthony returns to the very building and organization he gave all of his efforts to for eight years, as he’ll duel with the Nuggets for the first time this season and for the first time as a Blazer. Crazy stat: he’s never won a game in Denver while wearing an opposing jersey. After the Nuggets’ sketchy 1-3 road trip, they return to the Pepsi Center to make sure that stat stays that way.
Though the Blazers are always a strong team with the tedious-to-guard trio of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Anthony, so far this season they have struggled getting out of the gates at just a middle-of-the-pack 10-15 record. That first loss came by way of Denver on opening night.
Luckily for the Denver Nuggets, their sharpshooting aficionado Jamal Murray returns. That will definitely offset some of the offensive issues the Nugs have been undergoing as of late, especially with their struggling backcourt. Will Barton has definitely eased some of the burn of not having their 17.4 ppg. scorer in Murray on the floor, but the erratic play of Torrey Craig and Gary Harris has done them in during their rough road trip.
As for the Blazers, They’ve gone 1-2 in their past couple of games but look to right the ship in Melo’s return to his old stomping grounds. He’s been averaging over 15.9 points while shooting 39 percent from downtown. Solid numbers, and he’ll have an opportunity to raise those numbers against a team that, although might be 2nd in the league in total defensive rating, are susceptible to getting into some shootouts against offensively gifted teams in the West.
Game two tips off in a few on TNT.
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