The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Denver Nuggets at Moda Center on Friday.

The Nuggets (37-19) had their worst stretch of the season going into the All-Star break, losing three straight games. The good news is that they came out of the break healthy, beating the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Even with the poor run headed into the break, Denver still has a chance to capture the top spot in the Western Conference. They currently sit in fourth but are just 2.5 games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves in first. Those four teams are going to battle for those homecourt spots, and where they finish could be a huge advantage deeper into the playoffs. As long as Nikola Jokic keeps playing at an MVP level, Denver has to remain one of the favorites.

The Trail Blazers (15-39) have been one of the worst teams in the NBA, entering this matchup losing six straight games. It's hard to see things getting much better either because they've had numerous lengthy losing streaks throughout the year. If there's a silver lining, it's that Portland has decided to insert Scoot Henderson into the starting lineup. The Top 3 pick has looked great at times but has also really struggled in a bench role as well. Getting him more consistent minutes is huge for his development, and it'll be exciting to see what he brings to the table in the absence of Malcolm Brogdon (elbow). With that said, he's not expected to suit up here because of an adductor issue. Don't be surprised to see more Portland veterans miss time over the final month of the year.

These teams played twice earlier in the month, with Denver winning both matchups. The Nuggets have won seven of their last eight games over the Blazers in total.