Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - June 1st, 2021 | Game 5, 2021 NBA Playoffs
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets will head to the Ball Arena to play Game 5 on Tuesday after splitting the previous two games held in Portland.
The teams are currently tied 2-2 and have produced one of the most balanced contests of the 2021 NBA playoffs first-round series.
The Portland Trail Blazers emerged victorious in Game 4, beating the Denver Nuggets 115-95. They snapped a two-game skid and avoided going down 3-1 in the series, which could have dented their hopes of advancing to the next round.
Surprisingly, it was Norman Powell who led the charge for the team, scoring 29 points, as star man Damian Lillard endured a difficult evening, tallying just 10 points.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets produced one of their worst performances of the season. None of their players had a 20-point outing, with talisman Nikola Jokic leading the scorers with 16 points.
The Nuggets shot just 34% from the field compared to the Trail Blazers' 50%, and this proved to be the main difference between the teams.
Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report
The Portland Trail Blazers have no injuries apart from Zach Collins, who has been out since the start of the season because of an ankle injury.
Denver Nuggets Injury Report
The Denver Nuggets will continue to be without Will Barton (hamstring), PJ Dozier (groin) and Jamal Murray (ACL), who was ruled out for the remainder of the season in April.
Barton is nearing his return and may feature in Game 6 or 7 (if necessary), according to head coach Michael Malone. He did take part in a light practice on Monday.
Meanwhile, Dozier is still a long way from making his return and hasn't featured in any on-court practices of late.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets - Predicted Lineups
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are healthy and aren't expected to make any changes to their starting lineup or rotations.
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum will start in the backcourt, while Norman Powell, Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic will continue to partner on the frontcourt.
Carmelo Anthony has played the most minutes off the Portland Trail Blazers bench and will likely do so in this game as well. Anfernee Simmons is also expected to get crucial minutes.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets aren't expected to make any changes to their lineup either and will likely stick to their tried-and-tested combinations for this game.
Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers will feature as the starting guards, while Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Nikola Jokic will complete the rest of the lineup.
Meanwhile, Monte Morris, Markus Howard and JaMychal Green will continue to play the most minutes off the bench.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets - Predicted Starting 5s
Portland Trail Blazers
Point Guard - Damian Lillard | Shooting Guard - CJ McCollum | Small Forward - Norman Powell | Power Forward - Robert Covington | Center - Jusuf Nurkic
Denver Nuggets
Point Guard - Facundo Campazzo | Shooting Guard - Austin Rivers | Small Forward - Michael Porter Jr. | Power Forward - Aaron Gordon | Center - Nikola Jokic.
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