Washington Wizards at Portland Trail Blazers
Time: 9 PM CT (NBA TV)
Spread: POR -6
Total: 213.5
Betting odds c/o 5dimes
The Washington Wizards have dropped its past two games and travel to face the Portland Trail Blazers in NBA action on NBA TV tonight. The Wizards are six-point underdogs in the game and are 14-15 on the road this season.
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Washington still sits two games out of the No. 8 slot in the East, currently occupied by the Chicago Bulls. But the Wizards recent losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers have th team scrambling to avoid a skid. The Blazers are six point favorites in this game, and Portland has been one of the surprise teams of the season.
Portland currently sits at 33-31 and in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference. Though above .500, the Blazers also have lost three straight but had won six of seven prior to the skid. Portland is 19-12 at home this season and is one of just six teams in the West with a positive point differential.
Portland most recently dropped all three games of an Eastern Conference road trip against the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics. The most recent was the 123-113 loss to Detroit, which came despite C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard combining for 48 points on collective 17 of 37 shooting. Lillard was just 8 of 22 from the field and hit just 2 of 9 from three-point range, while McCollum fared better, hitting 9 of 15 from the field.
The Blazers are struggling to find scoring outside of its backcourt, though. Allen Crabbe is the only Blazer player outside the starting backcourt to average double figures, though Portland does spread the wealth well in averaging 103 points per game as a team. Credit a lot of that to the blossoming of young stars like Al-Farouq Aminu, Mason Plumlee and Meyers Leonard. The trio all averages eight plus points per game, and the Blazers have a strong identity and ability to make plays. What it lacks, however, is frontcourt defense.
The Wizards meanwhile have failed to take that necessary step as a playoff team. They are still not threats to the top teams in the East and could miss the postseason altogether. That comes despite John Wall’s 20 points and nearly 10 assists per game.
Outside of Wall, free agent to-be Bradley Beal has been good and might be in line for a max contact this summer. The former Florida Gator is averaging 17.8 points per game on 45 percent shooting and 38.3 percent three-point marksmanship. Former Orlando Magic center Marcin Gortat is also having a good season in running the pick and roll with Wall.
Gortat is averaging 13.6 points and 10.1 rebounds while also coming up with 2.13 blocks/steals per game. The Wizards top-three players are all performing well, and Otto Porter has become a legitimate starter.
But the lack of Wizards depth is killing the team. The rotation became marginally stronger with the addition of Markieff Morris, who has started four of the 10 games he has appeared in. There is no doubting Morris’ talents as a court stretching 4, but to say he may not be worth the headache is a classic overstatement. It was just clear that Washington was not going anywhere without some added firepower, notwithstanding that Washington averages 102.6 points per game.
The Blazers should be able to defend its homecourt, particularly if Lillard does a good job of exhausting Wall defensively. The Wizards are going to struggle with the Blazers surprising depth and Beal has a real job with McCollum throwing flames this season. To see Portland cover the six-point spread would not be surprising, but it is a tough line to feel confident on. The Wizards have been pretty bad in its past three games, so it seems like there is a chance for Portland to have a field day. At the minimum, the ‘over’ line on the 213.5 is a favorable proposition.
