The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Denver Nuggets at home during a short home game. Portland needs to turn its luck around and end its six-game losing streak. Denver, on the other hand, enters the game on a three-game winning streak and plays the Blazers in the second game of a three-game road trip.

Portland Trail Blazers (8-18) vs. Denver Nuggets (14-10) – Thurs. Dec. 19 – 7:00 p.m. Pacific

How to watch via antenna or cable: See yours Options on Rip City Television Network

How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else

Trail Blazers injuries: Deandre Ayton, Dalano Banton, Taze Moore Bryce McGowens (questionable); Matisse Thybulle, (Aus)

Nuggets Injuries: Christian Braun (questionable); Dario Saric, Vlatko Cancar, DaRon Holmes (Aus)

Portland comes into this contest desperate for a win. After a surprisingly good start to the season, in which the Blazers were 7:10, Portland has lost eight of nine games and is well behind the rest of the Western Conference. A matchup with the 2023 NBA champions, who sit fifth in the conference, isn’t exactly a game a struggling Blazers team would want to see on its schedule while trying to right the situation.

After being eliminated in the second round of their title defense season, the Nuggets find themselves back at the top of the Western Conference. They have placed a heavy emphasis on offensive efficiency this season, ranking third in the league with 49.4% shooting from the field and seventh in the league with 38% shooting from behind the arc. Nikola Jokic is once again playing at an MVP level with impressive averages of 30.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 9.9 assists per game, with the points and assists averages being career highs.

Tonight it could come down to ball movement. Portland ranks 28th in the NBA with 22.5 assists per game and is 27th in the league with 15.8 turnovers per game. On the other hand, the Nuggets are constantly moving the ball, but make sure you keep an eye on it. The average of 30.8 assists per game is good for first place in the league and with 14.2 turnovers per game they are in the middle of the pack.

What you should pay attention to

Second chance points. Despite being a below-average rebounding team, the Blazers rank sixth in the league with 12.7 offensive rebounds per game. Portland can make up for its lack of offensive efficiency and try to compensate for Denver’s high scoring rate by controlling the offensive glass. However, the Nuggets are the ninth-best team with 45 rebounds per game and could easily close that gap for the Blazers to remain competitive.

About the opponent

The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando discussed Jamal Murray’s late-game heroics in the Nuggets’ recent win over the Sacramento Kings.

Murray’s uncanny ability to turn terrible individual performances into timely heat checks and cold-blooded game winners is one of life’s great mysteries. He did it again in Sacramento, scoring 15 of his team-leading 28 points in Game 4. Towards the end of the third round he carefully disappeared into the dressing room for a short break before checking in again. Just three days earlier, he revealed that in addition to a hamstring injury that recently sidelined him, he was also suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Doesn’t matter. He got going during Nikola Jokic’s rest minutes by knocking down a pair of three-pointers. Then Denver’s two-man game took over in the final minute. Murray got separation on an 8-foot teardrop with 52.2 seconds left to take a 125-124 lead; assisted Jokic, who made just the 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to regain a 128-127 lead; Then on the final possession, he slid around a Jokic screen to get to his stepback.