Blazers Head Back Out For Their First Game Of The Season In Denver

After playing four games over the course of a week at home, the Trail Blazers hit the road for a two-game trip that starts with a nationally-televised tilt versus the Denver Nuggets Thursday night at the Pepsi Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

ALL TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 98-93IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 69-23AT THE NUGGETS: Nuggets lead, 60-29LAST PORTLAND WIN: 115-108, 4/7/19 (Portland)LAST NUGGETS WIN: 108-100, 10/23/19 (Portland)CURRENT WIN STREAK: One (Denver)

• Thursday’s game will be the second of four meetings between the Trail Blazers and the Nuggets during the 2019-20 season.

• LAST MEETING: Denver defeated Portland, 108-100, in the season opener on October 23 in Portland. Damian Lillard paced Portland with 32 points (10-21 FG, 3-10 3-PT, 9-10 FT), four rebounds and eight assists. Nikola Jokic led Denver with 20 points (8-14 FG, 3-5 3-PT, 1-2 FT), 13 rebounds and two assists.

• Each of the last seven regular season matchups between the Trail Blazers and the Nuggets have been decided by single-digits.

• Damian Lillard has scored 30-plus points in two straight regular season games against Denver. Lillard has dished out at least seven assists in eight of his last 10 regular season games against the Nuggets.

• In the previous meeting with the Nuggets on Oct. 23, Hassan Whiteside had 16 points (6-7 FG, 4-4 FT), 19 rebounds and two blocks. Whiteside has recorded a double-double in seven of his last nine matchups with Denver.

• CJ McCollum logged 12 points (5-18 FG, 2-4 3-PT), three rebounds and three assists against the Nuggets on October 23. • Carmelo Anthony has averaged 23.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in his 14 career games against Denver. He has scored at least 20 points in 11 of those 14 games.

• Nikola Jokic has had a double-double in each of his last three regular season games against Portland. In those three contests, Jokic has averaged 27.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

• Will Barton had 19 points (3-8 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 11-12 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals against Portland on October 23. Those 11 made free throws were a career-high.

• CONNECTION: Portland forward Carmelo Anthony spent his first seven-plus seasons in Denver, where he averaged 24.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 564 games (all starts).

• CONNECTION: Denver guard/forward Will Barton (2012-15) and Nuggets center Mason Plumlee (2015-17) both played multiple seasons for the Trail Blazers.

Rodney Hood (left ruptured Achilles tendon), Zach Collins (left shoulder dislocation) and Jusuf Nurkic (left leg fracture) are out for Tuesday's game versus Oklahoma City.

As for the Nuggets, Jamal Murray (right trunk contusion) and Paul Millsap (left foot soreness) are questionable.

Thursday's game will be nationally televised on TNT. There is no local television broadcast. Travis Demers and Michael Holton will have the call on Rip City Radio 620 AM and on all of the stations on the Deschutes Brewery Trail Blazers Radio Network.