Tip off: 10:05 PM EST
Spread: POR -3.5
Total: 191.5
M/L: POR -160, SAC +140
The Trail Blazers took a lot of frustration out on the poor Bobcats Wednesday night, as they won by 44 points in a game which the two teams combined for 180 points. Jamal Crawford scored 24 off the bench, hitting 4 of 6 threes, and starting forwards Gerald Wallace and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 45 points. The Blazers led 61 to 35 at the half and never looked back, extending their lead to 44 by the end of the third quarter.
Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge was invited to participate in the Olympic team tryouts. This year he is averaging 22.6 points per game and pulling down 8.5 boards a night, with 3.1 offensive rebounds per game. He attempts 18 shots a game in his 36 minutes, and no other Blazer averages more than Gerald Wallace’s 13.8 points per game.
The Kings were expected to be pretty poor, and they have been. They dropped their last game by 3 to the Golden State Warriors and have now lost 5 straight, with no seeming end in sight in this shortened schedule.
Tyreke Evans has been good, but still no where near the level he was as a rookie, when he became only the fourth player in NBA history to average 20-5-5 as a rookie. Joining exclusive club with LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Oscar Robertson, didn’t seem to mean much. He is still putting up 17-5-5 this season, but is shooting just 41.8% from teh floor and a wofeful 23.4% from behind the arc. He is also turning it over 3.0 times per game.
Jimmer Fredette has been about what most thought he would so far. He’s getting 23 minutes a night and shooting only 36% from the floor, but he is hitting threes (1.5 per game), and shooting a higher clip from behind the arc (38.3%) than from the floor. DeMarcus Cousisn and Marcus Thornton are both capable of big nights, but inconsistencies plague both players.
Blazers Betting Trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Portland’s last 6 games and they are 4-2 SU in their last 6. They are 1-4 SU in their last 5 on the road and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games, as well.
Sacramento Betting Trends:
The Kings are 8-15 ATS in their last 23 games and the total has gone UNDER in 10 of their last 12. The Kings are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games and 8-17 SU in their last 25 at home.
Key Matchup:
LaMarcus Aldridge vs. DeMarcus Cousins
I’m not sure if the coaches will elect to allow these two to cover one another for foul purpose reasons, but if they do, or if they don’t, both players are crucial to each team’s interior attack. Cousins still turns it over too much, but he is getting better, and slightly more consistent. He had a blowup earlier in the year, but the Kings managed to placate him by firing Paul Westphal, doing a great disservice to a great coach, rather than simply discarding of Cousins.
As I mentioned, Aldridge is having a career year, and I’m not sure if the Kings really have any answer for him. He’s too good to be stopped by Hickson, Hayes, Jason Thompson, or Cousins. Look for a lot of double teams, but Aldridge will punish the double teams too with his length and shooting.
