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A Western Conference showdown is on tap as the Portland Trail Blazers look to pull off a road upset where the stars shine bright against the Los Angeles Clippers. It is about that time to take a look at our NBA odds series where our Trail Blazers-Clippers prediction and pick will be made.
Entering play with a more than underwhelming 6-15 record, the rebuilding Trail Blazers are fresh off a 13-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks at home and have found themselves in the middle of a three-game losing streak. Already 11 games out of the division lead, Portland needs to right the ship rather sooner than later before the season is all but lost.
On the other side of things, the James Harden experiment in Los Angeles is officially heading in the right direction. Don't look now, but the Clippers have reeled off wins in five of their last seven games overall. Despite their recent victorious ways, Los Angeles still only sits at 11-10 and will have their work cut out for them as the regular season continues to progress.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Trail Blazers-Clippers Odds
Portland Trail Blazers: +13 (-110)
Los Angeles Clippers: -13 (-110)
Over: 220.5 (-108)
Under: 220.5 (-112)
How to Watch Trail Blazers vs. Clippers
Time: 10:40 ET/7:40 PT
TV: Bally Sports San Diego/Bally Sports SoCal
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Trail Blazers Could Cover The Spread
While many people aren't giving the Blazers that much of a chance in this one, it is unwise to be sleeping on a hungry and desperate Portland squad with not a whole lot to lose.
For the youthful Blazers to shock the Clippers and cover the spread, overcoming a slew of injuries will be much needed. Without a doubt, a shorthanded Trail Blazers squad will have some glaring concerns in terms of pulling this one out.
As it stands, center Deandre Ayton, forward Jerami Grant, and even sharpshooter Malcolm Brogdon are all questionable for this showdown with their own respective injuries. Inevitably, if all three of these names aren't available for play, then the chances of Portland having their way against Los Angeles will prove to be an uphill climb.
Even more importantly will be Portland's ability to play a scrappy brand off basketball. Although it was the Blazers that went down in defeat last time out at the hands of the Mavericks, they did happen to out-rebound Dallas as well as force nine steals to show that the can be dangerous on defense. In order to take care of business, taking advantage of the Clippers and their mistakes could end up being the major difference in proving their doubters wrong on their way to winning at Crypto.com Arena.
Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread
Are the Clippers FINALLY hitting their stride? Although there is 61 games still to be played on the schedule, Los Angeles is finally beginning to gain chemistry and are learning to win as a team. In addition, give credit where credit is due as head coach Tyronn Lue and this coaching staff for making the right decisions in terms of rotational minutes and deciding who should start with all of these big names on this roster.
With Russell Westbrook occupying a sixth-man role off the bench, the Clippers have thrived especially on both ends of the floor. Thanks to this well-balanced scheme as of late, LA is averaging 113 points per game and are holding the opposition to only 109 points per game.
Impressively enough, the Clippers are also allowing teams to shoot only 34% from three-point-range which is the sixth-best mark that the league has to offer. Indeed, the Clippers are finally coming together as a team and it has been an encouraging thing to see for a franchise that took a major risk when they decided to acquire James Harden.
Furthermore, the individual performances from this roster have been as lethal as they come. Whether it's in the form of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and even Russell Westbrook, these are all names that can drop at least 20 points any night on the hardwood.
Combine this with big-man Ivica Zubac 12.0 points per game and all of a sudden this group is looking quite formidable. Bottom line, don't expect this team to have off-nights shooting wise as there is way too much scoring prowess to go around.
Final Trail Blazers-Clippers Prediction & Pick
With the amount of uncertainly revolving around the Portland injury report, it is hard to trust the Blazers to keep this a close game without their top scorers available. At the end of the day, Los Angeles is the far better team and are on the cusp of going on absolute roll.
Final Trail Blazers-Clippers Prediction & Pick: Clippers -13 (-110)
