The Denver Nuggets play host to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference First-Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on Saturday.

The Trail Blazers were among the hottest teams in the NBA to close the regular season, winning 10 of their final 12 contests. That kept them out of the play-in game and made them one of the scariest teams in this postseason. The thing that makes them so fearful is the fact that they're finally fully healthy, with C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic balling out over the last few weeks. That paired beautifully with a superstar like Damian Lillard, and it makes it surprising that this team didn't finish higher than sixth. The one thing that's held them back is their defense, ranked 29th in defensive efficiency ratings this season. That won't get it done in the postseason, but they'll surely play better at full health.

The Nuggets also finished the regular season rolling, winning 13 of their final 18 games. What made that run truly shocking is the fact that they did it despite losing two of their primary ball-handlers. Jamal Murray and Will Barton both suffered significant leg injuries, and neither is expected back anytime soon. That has left Nikola Jokic as the man in charge, and it likely earned him an NBA MVP Award. He's leading the team with 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game, playing in all 72 outings this year. That's quite the feat, and it looks even better with Michael Porter Jr having a breakout season as well. That makes them one of the most dangerous duos in the postseason, and it'd be scary to see what this club would look like with a healthy Murray after what he did in last year's bubble. He wont be around though and it'll be fascinating to see how they look without him in such big games.

These teams played three times during the regular season, with Denver winning the series, 2-1. That gives the Nuggets 11 wins in their last 14 meetings with the Trail Blazers in total.