Tip off: 10:05 PM EST
Spread: POR -8
Total: 195
M/L: POR -370, SAC +310
Sacramento jumped out of the gates with an impressive victory over the L.A. Lakers. All starters except Chuck Hayes finished in double figures, with Marcus Thornton’s 27 points on 9 of 13 shooting lead the way. Tyreke Evans appeared to channel his inner rookie, over coming last year’s slump to score 20 while dishing out 3 assists. DeMarcus Cousins fought foul trouble most of the game, but still recorded a double double.
The Blazers beat the Sixers in a high scoring affair at home, winning 107-103. They received double figure scoring from 6 different players, with LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace combining for 46 points on a combined 19 of 38 shooting (.500). Raymond Felton appears as though he could be the answer at point guard for hte Blazers. They former UNC product struggled with his shooting, but distributed 8 assists and pulled down 6 rebounds to go with his 12 points. Shooting guard Wesley Matthews (16 points) and Aldridge both saw over 40 minutes of play.
Some betting trends:
Sacramento is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games and the total has gone UNDER In 7 of their last 10. The total has gone OVER in 14 of their last 20 on the road while the Kings are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 road games. The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Kings’ last 5 road games and it has gone UNDER in 7 of their last 9 against The Portland Trailblazers. The Kings are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games against Portland and they are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 against the Blazers. The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 5 games and they are 1-4 SU in their last 5 road games against Portland.
The Blazers are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games. The total has gone OVER in 4 of their last 6 games and they are 13-2 SU in their last 15 home games. The Blazers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games at home and the total has gone OVER in 4 of their last 5 home games. The total has gone UNDER in 7 of their last 9 against the Kings and they are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games against Sacramento. The Blazers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 home games against the Kings and the total has gone UNDER in all 5 of the Blazers’ last 5 games at home against the Sacramento Kings. The Blazers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home against the Kings.
Key Matchups:
Marcus Thornton vs. Wesley Matthews
Both Thornton and Matthews are heavily relied upon scorers for their respective teams. Thornton closed last year out with a bang, recording several high scoring games and priming himself for what should be a breakout campaign this year. Matthews, in only his 2nd NBA season, had signed as a free agent from Utah, and went on to become Portland’s starting shooting guard, as Brandon Roy ultimately retired. Matthews put up 16 opening night and should average between 16 and 20 this season, depending on his usage rate offensively.
J.J. Hickson / DeMarcus Cousins vs. LaMarcus Aldridge / Marcus Camby
Hickson and Cousins are both young and dynamic, while Camby is a walking corpse (albeit a very good one) and Aldridge is quietly one of the best power forwards in the league. Aldridge realized last year he ultimately had to be snubbed with the season rookie Blake Griffin was having, but that didn’t make it any easier a pill to swallow. If the Blazers can contend after losing Roy and Oden, both of whom were expected to be franchise cornerstones, Aldridge will be the reason why. Look for Cousin and Hickson possibly both to get into foul trouble dealing with Aldridge.
