Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - May 29th, 2021 | Game 4, 2021 NBA Playoffs
The Denver Nuggets will look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-round series over the Portland Trail Blazers when the two teams square off for Game 4 at Moda Center on Saturday.
After falling to a defeat in Game 1, the Denver Nuggets made a strong comeback in Games 2 and 3 to go 2-1 up in this series. They won Game 3 120-115 thanks to stellar showings from star man Nikola Jokic and veteran Austin Rivers. The former tallied 36 points and 11 rebounds, while the latter ended the night with 21 points.
Damian Lillard once again shone for the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 37 points on the night. CJ McCollum played a solid cameo and ended the night with 22 points and nine rebounds. However, the Trail Blazers ran out of steam down the stretch and eventually ended up as the losing side in this closely contested tie.
Denver Nuggets Injury Report
The Denver Nuggets will continue to play without Will Barton (hamstring) and PJ Dozier (groin), who are yet to feature in this series.
Barton is nearing his return but, with the Nuggets up 2-1, it is unlikely he will be rushed into the lineup. As for Dozier, he hasn't taken part in on-court activities and is likely to be sidelined for the rest of the series.
Meanwhile, Jamal Murray is the third player on the injury report. He is ruled out until the end of the campaign because of an ACL injury.
Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report
Zach Collins is the only player listed on the Portland Trail Blazers injury report. He hasn't featured this campaign since suffering a season-ending ankle injury last August.
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers - Predicted Lineups
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are unlikely to make changes to their starting lineup.
Facundo Compazzo and Austin Rivers are expected to start as guards, while Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic will likely be deployed on the frontcourt.
Meanwhile, Monte Morris, JaMychal Green and Marcus Howard are likely to play the most rotation minutes coming off the Denver Nuggets bench.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are likely to stick to the same starting lineup they have deployed in the last three games.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are likely to start in the backcourt, while Norman Powell, CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic are all expected to retain their starting places.
Carmelo Anthony has been given the most minutes off the Portland Trail Blazers bench this series and is expected to play a minimum of 25 minutes again, while Anfernee Simmons could be expected to play a prominent role as well.
Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers - Predicted Starting 5s
Denver Nuggets
Point Guard - Facundo Campazzo | Shooting Guard - Austin Rivers | Small Forward - Michael Porter Jr. | Power Forward - Aaron Gordon | Center - Nikola Jokic.
Portland Trail Blazers
Point Guard - Damian Lillard | Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum | Small Forward - Norman Powell | Power Forward - Robert Covington | Center - Jusuf Nurkic
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