New Orleans Hornets at Portland Trail Blazers
Wednesday, 2/16/11, 10:00 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: Portland -4.5
Current Betting Line: Portland -5
Opening Total: 183
Current Total: 183
New Orleans can’t wait for the All-Star break to get here due to dropping eight of its last 10 games, including a 102-89 road loss to Golden State Tuesday night. “I don’t believe in excuses and I don’t believe in rescues,” said coach Monty Williams. “If guys want to keep their job, they’re going to have to learn how to play in tough times like this.” The Hornets are now 33-24 overall and have compiled a 7-11 mark on the road against Western Conference opponents. It’s important for the team to hold opponents to under 100 points on any given night, as it’s record is 4-16 when allowing foes to go over the century mark. New Orleans is 18-35 ATS versus Northwest division opponents the past three years and currently an underdog on the NBA lines page for tonight’s contest.
The Hornets defensive slide is alarming due to recent numbers, surrendering over 100 points in seven of the last 10 games. New Orleans has allowed an average of 99.9 during that stretch, even though its season average is 92.5. Many NBA experts believe the problems are magnified with the loss of center Emeka Okafor, who has been sidelined since the middle of the second game of this current 10-game stretch. “We’re scratching and clawing, trying to find ways to win games,” guard Willie Green stated. “We’ve got to find ways to get better and put two halve together.”
Portland is enjoying a season-high tying five-game winning streak and is being led by the outstanding play of forward LaMarcus Aldridge. He is averaging career highs of 22.1 points and 8.9 rebounds, but has gone even beyond that in scoring 31.2 points a night during the team’s current streak. “Since the announcement of the All-Stars, his play hasn’t dropped off,” said coach Nate McMillan. “It’s gotten even better.” The team has done an incredible job in overcoming injuries to guard Brandon Roy and center Marcus Camby, going 9-4 without the duo. Portland is 1-5 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points this season.
The Blazers have lost the last two meetings with the Hornets and the road team has won six of the last seven meetings in the series. Portland still hasn’t dropped a season series versus New Orleans since the 2005-06 campaign. Offensively, the team has been dominating when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent, posting a 23-1 record in that situation. Portland is also second in the NBA shooting 80.4 percent at the line this season after setting a franchise record of 79 percent at the charity stripe last year. Both of those factors have come into play with the squad averaging 99.8 points per game in February and garnering a 6-2 record over that span.
Bettors will likely back the Hornets due to their 8-3 ATS mark as a road underdog, while the Blazers are 1-5 ATS as a home favorite of this type.
