The Los Angeles Clippers hit the road to take on the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night. Below we will continue our NBA odds series with a Clippers-Trail Blazers prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Here are the Clippers-Trail Blazers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Clippers-Trail Blazers Odds
Los Angeles Clippers: -6.5 (-106)
Moneyline: -260
Portland Trail Blazers: +6.5 (-114)
Moneyline: +215
Over: 220.5 (-110)
Under: 220.5 (-110)
How To Watch Clippers vs. Trail Blazers
Time: 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT
TV: FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, KATU 2.2
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Clippers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Trail Blazers have lost four of their last five games. In those games, Portland has not been good defensively. They are allowing 117.2 points per game in that stretch and opponents shoot 47.4 percent against them. When Portland allows more than 115 points this season, they have a record of 3-19. With the way the Trail Blazers have played on the defensive end of the court recently, and on the season as a whole, the Clippers should not have any problem getting to 115 points in this game.
Los Angeles is a pretty good defensive team. They have allowed the fifth-fewest points per game this season, the fourth-fewest field goals made, and the sixth-fewest threes made. In fact, they are coming off a game in which they absolutely dominated the Brooklyn Nets on the defensive end of the court. That showed how awesome their defense can really be. Portland is a bad offensive team, so do not be surprised to see the Clippers have another great defensive game Thursday night.
The Trail Blazers are dealing with quite a few injuries. Jerami Grant, Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams are all out. Deni Avidja is questionable. Portland can not afford to have all of those players miss this game. Yes, they are not the highest scoring players, but those four contribute greatly to the Trail Blazers. Keep an eye on the injury report in Portland. If the Trail Blazers do have to play without those four players, the Clippers have a great chance to win big.
Why the Trail Blazers Could Cover the Spread/Win
Portland will have to match the Clippers on the defensive end of the court. Defense has not been their strong suit lately, but it needs to step up if there is any chance they win this game. The good news is Los Angeles is not a strong offensive team. They average 108.9 points per game, which is the eighth-lowest in the NBA. Along with that, Los Angeles does tend to turn the ball over often. If the Trail Blazers can find a way to keep the Clippers under 115 points, there is a great chance for them to cover the spread.
The Trail Blazers injuries have been noted. However, their top two scorers are still active. Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe average 18.7, and 18.4 points per game. Neither player shoots the ball particularly well, but they take plenty of shots. These two players have to play well Thursday night. If they can each put up 20+ points, or close to it, the Trail Blazers will have a chance to at least cover the spread.
Final Clippers-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick
The Clippers are the better team, and that is going to show. I will take the Clippers to cover the spread.
Final Clippers-Trail Blazers Prediction & Pick: Clippers -6.5 (-106)