The Blazers and Nuggets needed four overtimes to decide Game 3 on Friday night. After a quick day off, Portland looks to capitalize and push the Nuggets to the brink. Nikola Jokic played 65 minutes on Friday and will need to find some reserve to steal a game on the road. Here’s a sports betting recap from Game 3 and a look ahead to today’s matchup in Portland.
Game 3 in Portland was just the second quadruple-overtime playoff game in NBA history. The first was way back in 1953 between the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals. The Blazers finished with a win but could not cover the five-point home spread. We don’t need to discuss the 215-point O/U.
Statistics were certainly inflated due to an extra 20 minutes of basketball. CJ McCollum posted 41 points — needing 39 shot attempts to get there. Damian Lillard checked in for 28 points and 8 assists but most of the talk after the game centered on Rodney Hood.
Hood was outstanding — scoring 19 points off the bench on 6 of 8 shooting and 2 for 3 from 3-point range. He scored seven in the fourth overtime — a fresh body amongst a gaggle of tired players — and nailed a key 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds left to close out the game.
With an injured shoulder, Enes Kanter contributed an 18-point, 15-rebound double-double over his 56-minute effort but gained attention post-game for another social media complaint. Foul? Box out? You decide.
Aside from boxing out on free throws, Nikola Jokic kept extremely busy on Friday night — playing 65 minutes and recording another triple-double in the loss. Jokic was extremely efficient in the process — going 13/25 from the field and shooting 4/7 from three-point range.
Stat of the Day
Nikola Jokic’s 65 minutes were the fourth-most minutes in a game in NBA Playoffs history. The 65 minutes were the most since 1984 per Basketball-Reference — edging Kevin Johnson’s 62-minute game as a Sun in the 1993 playoffs.
Prop Shop: Enes Kanter O/U 15.5 Points
Notwithstanding his social media game, Kanter has filled in admirably for Jusuf Nurkic throughout the playoffs. Kanter is currently averaging 15.6 PPG on 10.9 FGA throughout the Blazers’ playoff run. The Nuggets are the worst remaining team in defending the paint — allowing 47.8 points in the paint per game. Despite the injury, Kanter should be fired up in front of his home crowd in Game 4. Breakfast Lean: Enes Kanter Over 15.5 Points (FanDuel Sportsbook)
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The Breakfast Pick
At the time of this writing, FanDuel Sportsbook establishes Portland as a 3-point favorite at home with an implied game total of 210. Most of the starters played a pile of minutes during Game 3 and could come into Game 4 a bit exhausted. Neither team played at a fast pace during the season and both teams are playing slower during the playoffs — 97.84 and 93.22 respectively.
The home crowd should still be a big factor. So, despite Denver needing this game a bit more, I could still see Portland coming away with a win after such a draining game in Game 3. Breakfast Lean: Portland -3 (-110) and Under 210 (-110).
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