Portland at L.A. Clippers
Time: 10:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: EVEN
Total: 205
Betting odds c/o Bovada
This has the potential to be an actual series in the postseason when it begins in April. Currently tonight’s opponents are slotted at the 4 spot (Portland) and 5 (L.A. Clippers), with Portland guaranteed the edge for homecourt due to leading its division. Both squads are riding three-game win streaks and NBA live odds showed the game as a PICK, with the total being set at 205. For an explanation of how to bet NBA games, see our odds explained.
The Clippers are seated No. 5 in the West, but the team boasts the second-best differential (+6.3) in the West and is 40-21, with a 23-8 mark at the Staples Center. The Trail Blazers are passable on the road (14-13), but having the homecourt edge in this series is going to be vital for Portland. The Trail Blazers batter teams inside, ranking No. 3 in the NBA in rebounds per game.
Portland made a move to acquire shooting guard Arron Afflalo at the deadline, which will infuse some much needed depth into its backcourt. With a four guard rotation featuring Damian Lillard, Wes Matthews, Steve Blake and Afflalo, the Blazers should have the tools to keep up with the loaded backcourts of the Clippers, Spurs, and most especially, Golden State Warriors.
Portland showed the first signs of contention type strength by dispatching the Houston Rockets last postseason. The Blazers have as good an ace in the hole as any with forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge is nearly unguardable on the baselines and is one of the best pick and pop forwards in recent NBA history. He’s a steady 23 points and 10 rebounds per night, and helps augment a strong rotation at the 5-spot.
The Blazers use an amalgam of Meyers Leonard, Chris Kaman and Robin Lopez, sometimes playing two of the seven-footers at the same time. It renders the Blazers the league’s best rebounding team, and getting second chance looks against Portland is rare. Nicolas Batum’s impact also goes far beyond his humble statistics, and even his 1.73 steals/blocks per game isn’t fully indicative of the defensive impact he can make on a game. The Blazers have a lot of pieces in place that could give the Clippers problems, but it isn’t a point spread that should inspire a lot of confidence.
With Blake Griffin sidelined (staph infection), the Clippers have turned to starting stretch-4/5 Spencer Hawes and also giving both Hedo Turkolgu and Glen Davis increased minutes off the bench. Hawes hit 3 of 5 from the floor (including a three) en route to seven points, six boards and three blocked shots in the Kings contest. But Wed night he shot just 1 of 9 from the floor while posting the worst plus/minus of any starter (neg.-3).
The Clippers really have enough scoring to supplant Griffin’s production, so it is more a matter of restructuring the half court offense to make Hawes’ skill set work within the frame of what Doc Rivers is trying to accomplish. In the win over Sacto, the Clippers hit 14 of 35 from three-point range (40 percent) and also had 31 assists to just 11 turnovers.
With the team shooting and passing with that kind of acumen, Griffin can continue to miss time provided he is healthy for the postseason. The loss to Houston told a different story, however, as the Clips turned it over 15 times while managing just 18 assists. Also, L.A. shot just 44 percent from the floor and subtracting Crawford from the equation, the rest of the team shot just 30 of 77 (38 percent).
