Portland Trail Blazers (10-15, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (14-8, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Thursday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Damian Lillard leads Portland into a matchup with Denver. He ranks seventh in the NBA scoring 26.9 points per game.
The Nuggets are 2-0 against Northwest Division teams. Denver is 8-2 when winning the rebound battle and averages 45.9 rebounds per game.
The Trail Blazers are 2-2 against the rest of their division. Portland is 4-13 when outrebounded by opponents and averages 46.8 rebounds per game.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Nuggets won 108-100 in the last matchup on Oct. 23. Nikola Jokic led Denver with 20 points, and Lillard led Portland with 32 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Will Barton leads the Nuggets with 1.9 made 3-pointers and averages 14.8 points while shooting 40.4 percent from beyond the arc. Jokic has averaged 15.6 points and 11.4 rebounds while shooting 46.6 percent over the last 10 games for Denver.
Lillard is averaging 26.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists for the Trail Blazers. CJ McCollum has averaged 22.1 points and totaled 4.3 rebounds while shooting 47.3 percent over the last 10 games for Portland.
LAST 10 GAMES: Trail Blazers: 5-5, averaging 114.1 points, 47.2 rebounds, 22.3 assists, 6.2 steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points on 43.7 percent shooting.
Nuggets: 5-5, averaging 104.5 points, 45.3 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 100.2 points on 44.2 percent shooting.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Jamal Murray: day to day (torso).
Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic: out (leg fracture), Skal Labissiere: day to day (achilles), Zach Collins: out (left shoulder dislocation), Rodney Hood: out for season (leg).
