It's the best two words in sports: Game 7.
The Trail Blazers and Nuggets will play for all of the marbles on Sunday for the right to play in the Western Conference finals. Denver failed to win on Thursday in a series that has featured a four-overtime game and some excellent guard play.
Portland has been led by its star-studded duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who are averaging 27.2 and 24.7 points per game respectively in the series. Enes Kanter and Rodney Hood have been thrust to the forefront and given the Blazers an unexpected boost. The former is averaging a double-double during the postseason while the latter scored 25 points in Game 6 and made a clutch 3 in the four-overtime Game 3.
The continued development of Jamal Murray has been big for the Nuggets, who rode star Nikola Jokic past the Spurs and into the series with the Blazers. Jokic and Murray have combined for 51.5 PPG and 20 rebounds per game against Portland.
Game 7 will be played at the Pepsi Center in Denver, where the Nuggets are 5-2 this postseason.
What time does Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets start?
Game 7 is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET tipoff. The Raptors and 76ers will follow at 7 p.m. ET.
Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: TV channel, live stream
ABC will have the national broadcast for the contest. You can also stream the game with the Watch ESPN app.
Betting line, odds for Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets
The Nuggets are currently listed as 5.5-point favorites. They have won by at least six points twice so far in the series, with both of those coming at home. The over/under sits at 212.5 points, which has been surpassed in five of the six games. Neither team has particularly favorable title odds. The Nuggets are at 25/1 and the Trail Blazers have 40/1 odds.
Trail Blazers by the numbers
- Offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions): 114.7 (3rd)
- Defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions): 110.5 (16th)
- Pace: 99.1 (18th)
- Points per game: 114.7 (6th)
- Points allowed per game :110.5 (15th)
- Leading scorer: Damian Lillard 25.8 PPG (44/37/91 FG/3P/FT%)
- Leading rebounder: Jusuf Nurkic, 10.4 RPG (3.4 ORPG)
- Assists leader: Lillard, 6.9 APG
- 2018-19 All-Stars: Lillard
Nuggets by the numbers
- Offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions): 113.0 (6th)
- Defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions): 108.9 (10th)
- Pace: 97.7 (27th)
- Points per game: 110.7 (20th)
- Points allowed per game :106.7 (6th)
- Leading scorer: Nikola Jokic, 20.1 PPG (51/31/82 FG/3P/FT%)
- Leading rebounder: Jokic, 10.8 RPG (2.9 ORPG)
- Assists leader: Jokic, 7.3 APG
- 2018-19 All-Stars: Jokic
When was the Trail Blazers' last conference finals appearance?
It's been almost 20 years since Portland played in its last Western Conference finals. It fell in six games to the Lakers in 2000 during its second consecutive trip to the conference finals.
When was the Nuggets' last conference finals appearance?
The Nuggets have been to the conference finals just three times in NBA history, the most recent of which came in 2009, when they, like the Trail Blazers, lost in six games to the Lakers.