Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will look to defend home court Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Denver has won three of their last four games, including a 127-120 win over the Suns last Friday. Jamal Murray led the team in scoring with 39 points, and Christian Braun added 31 in the Nuggets first NBA Cup victory. Portland has gotten off to a fast start, winning four of their first five games. The Trail Blazers beat the Jazz in their last game 112-90 despite Ja Morant being out of the lineup with an injury. With Morant likely out for the entire month of November, the Trail Blazers will be looking to continue their success without Morant.
Portland has been one of the early surprises this season. They have been surprisingly good on the road, winning all three games away from their home court. They have their work cut out for them against Denver, who has historically been a great home team. Denver finished the 2025-2026 season 28-13 at home. The Trail Blazers offense has been a big reason they have found success. Portland is averaging 120 points per game with contributions from Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and Deni Advija. They are fourth in the NBA in offensive rating and have a net rating of 10.1. Denver’s offense had the 2nd best rating of all time last season, but have gotten off to a slower start this year compared to that standard. The Nuggets rank 15th in the NBA with an offensive rating of 112.4. That is nine points lower than they were last year. Even without Morant and Shaedon Sharpe, the Trail Blazers have been the better offense with all momentum on their side. Portland will be a tough test for Denver on their home court.
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