Jokic and the Nuggets host Portland to begin playoff series
Portland Trail Blazers (53-29, third in the Western Conference during the regular season) vs. Denver Nuggets (54-28, second in the Western Conference during the regular season)
Denver; Monday, 10:30 p.m. EDT
WESTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Denver hosts first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The Denver Nuggets host the Portland Trail Blazers to begin the Western Conference second round. Denver went 3-1 against Portland during the regular season.
The Nuggets are 12-4 against division opponents. Denver is second in the Western Conference with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game, led by Nikola Jokic averaging 2.8.
The Trail Blazers have gone 21-20 away from home. Portland is third in the NBA with 11.8 offensive rebounds per game, led by Enes Kanter averaging 3.7.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jokic is averaging 20.1 points and 10.8 rebounds for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray has averaged 17.2 points and added 3.2 rebounds while shooting 40.6 percent over the last 10 games for Denver.
Damian Lillard leads the Trail Blazers averaging 3.0 made 3-pointers while scoring 25.8 points per game and shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc. Kanter has averaged 14.4 points and totaled 10.2 rebounds while shooting 51.2 percent over the last 10 games for Portland.
DURING THE PLAYOFFS: Trail Blazers: Averaging 111 points, 45.4 rebounds, 17.4 assists, 8.0 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.2 points on 44.0 percent shooting.
Nuggets: Averaging 105.1 points, 44.0 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 4.6 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.3 points on 46.3 percent shooting.
Nuggets Injuries: Michael Porter Jr.: out (back).
Trail Blazers Injuries: Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (leg fracture).
