Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers
Time: 10:30 PM ET
TV: TNT
Spread: POR -4.5
Total: 212
Betting odds c/o Bovada
The Portland Trail Blazers were able to survive Tuesday (Feb 3) night against the Utah Jazz, winning 103-102 on the road as Robin Lopez returned to the lineup. Tonight, the Blazers will play host to the Phoenix Suns, a 28-22 team that is 13-12 on the road. Early NBA handicapping shows the Blazers as 4.5-point favorites in the affair.
NBA betting online at Bovada is also showing a 212 total for the game. Phoenix averages 106.6 points per game while the Trail Blazers average 102.4. The pace for this game should be quick, and neither Damian Lillard nor Goran Dragic are opposed to pushing it in transition. Moreover, the Suns have the horses to wear the Blazers down. While Portland has a very strong starting five, depth remains an issue with the lack of scoring options off the Blazers bench.
Outside of the Blazers top-3 scorers, there aren’t a lot of good scorers. LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews combine to average 62 points per game as a trio, but the rest of the team accounts for just 40. The Blazers have more going on in the frontcourt than numbers might indicate (Robin Lopez, Chris Kaman and Meyers Leonard are a great three-headed monster), but the lack of scoring off the bench in the backcourt could handicap the Blazers against teams like the Suns tonight who have more depth.
The Suns backcourt rotation features its top-3 scorers: Eric Bledsoe, Dragic and free agent acquisition Isaiah Thomas. Behind this trio, Markieff Morris and Gerald Green average 15 and 13 points per game respectively. Markieff’s twin brother Marcus posts nearly 10 per game as well. The Suns are the league’s third highest scoring team, and given the depth, it’s easy to see why.
Alex Len has come along nicely for the Suns after seeing very limited minutes as a rookie last year. The No. 5 overall pick from the 2013 draft is looking very coordinated and quick around the basket. In 20 minutes per game this season, he’s averaged 6.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Len has started 25 games this year, and has all the makings of a guy who is going to stick in the league for quite some time. It’s unclear just how high his upside may be, but he’s doing all the right things, and rim protectors come at a premium in the NBA. If Len can continue to hone his shot blocking, he’ll be a valuable chip and have a lot of leverage when his rookie contract expires. Plus, you know, you can’t teach size and he is 7’1” 255.
Bledsoe is the Suns best talent, but he also might be allowed to walk this offseason which was part of the thought in bringing in a backup guard like Thomas incase the Suns can’t match his offers. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 16.9 points, six assists and 4.4 rebounds per game, serving as a combo guard with Dragic sharing ball handling duties with him. Goran averages four assists per game and 16.5 points per game, as well.
The Suns are a team that is guard-heavy, and Gerald Green brings another shooter and athlete off the bench. With the Morris brothers serving as stretch-4s, the Suns offense thrives on the three, hitting 9.6 per game at a 35.7 percent clip. If this turns into a shootout, the Suns should be able to stay in this one, but Portland is always a tough team to beat at home and NBA oddsmakers have set the NBA handicapping appropriately for this one.
