Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction, 2/20/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers

Date: Friday, February 20, 2026

Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR

TV: Rip City Television Network

Moda Center is the site where the Portland Trail Blazers (27-29) will go up against the Denver Nuggets (35-20) on Friday.

The Nuggets stepped onto the hardwood against the Grizzlies and walked away with a win by a score of 122-116 in their last contest. Denver finished the contest with a 53.1% field goal percentage (43 of 81) and made 10 of 22 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Nuggets made 26 of 32 attempts for a rate of 81.3%. Pertaining to rebounding, they earned 46 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 29 dimes in the game as well as forcing 6 turnovers and having 2 steals. When discussing defending, Denver let their opponent shoot 46.2% from the floor on 42 out of 91 shooting. Memphis totaled 28 dimes and had 12 steals for this contest. Moreover, Memphis grabbed 29 rebounds (8 offensive, 21 defensive) and added 1 block. Memphis finished 81.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of their 21 attempts. They also knocked down 15 of 39 attempts from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Nuggets finished with 19 while the Grizzlies finished the game with 32 fouls.

Nikola Jokic is one guy who was a major factor for the matchup. Jokic finished the game at 47.1% from the floor and distributed 11 dimes. He played 34 mins and totaled 15 rebounds. He finished with 26 points on 8 of 17 shooting.

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Denver comes into this matchup with a mark of 35-20 so far this season. They average 120.4 pts per contest (1st in basketball) while connecting on 49.5% from the floor. The Nuggets are shooting 39.5% from downtown (755 of 1,910) and 81.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Denver is grabbing 42.7 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 1,539 dimes this season, which is 8th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 12.7 times per game and as a squad are committing 19.0 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Nuggets have forced 11.9 turnovers every game and they draw 21.7 personal fouls. They are ranked 16th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 1,466 conceded for the season. The Nuggets defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.8% (2,332 of 4,987) and they surrender 42.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They give up 35.2% on shots from downtown while they are 19th in the league in PPG allowed (116.3).

The last time they took the court, the Trail Blazers got the win with a final of 135-119 when they faced the Jazz. The Trail Blazers were able to corral 33 defensive rebounds and 19 offensive boards totaling 52 for the contest. They also coughed up the ball 21 times, while recording 7 steals for the matchup. The Jazz committed 27 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Trail Blazers to the free throw line for 33 attempts. They were able to bury 25 of the free throw tries for a rate of 75.8%. With regard to three-point shots, Portland converted 18 of their 46 attempts (39.1%). When this game wrapped up, the Trail Blazers shot 46 out of 90 from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.1%. The Trail Blazers allowed the Jazz to bury 42 of 87 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 48.3% for the matchup. They wrapped up this game 36.8% from downtown by going 14 of 38 and ended up shooting 21 of 29 at the free throw line (72.4%). Concerning rebounding, Portland allowed Utah to collect 38 overall (12 offensive).

Jrue Holiday ended up having an impact for the Trail Blazers in the game. Holiday tallied 31 points in his 33 mins of playing time and totaled 7 assists for the game. He buried 10 of 15 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and added 9 rebounds.

Portland has a win-loss record of 27-29 for the season. The Trail Blazers commit 20.4 fouls per game and they go 77.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 24.7 times per contest (27th in the league) and they lose possession via turnover 17.3 times per contest. Portland has earned 6,514 points for the season (116.3 per contest) and they average 46.0 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Trail Blazers are shooting 45.2% from the floor, which ranks them 28th in the NBA.

The Trail Blazers defensively are ranked 23rd in the league in PPG allowed with 118.3. They are forcing 15.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.5% from the floor (20th in the NBA). The Portland defense gives up 36.0% on 3-point attempts (729 of 2,024) and opponents are converting on 79.6% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 26.9 dimes and 43.1 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 16th and 11th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Denver

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