The Philadelphia 76ers travel to the Pacific Northwest to continue their Western Conference road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers. Itâs time to continue our NBA odds series and make a 76ers-Blazers prediction and pick.
The Sixers hold an overall record of 18-7, but they are 14-9-2 against the spread. Philadelphia is coming off a tough win over the Sacramento Kings in their last matchup.
The Blazers stand at 13-10 overall and 11-12 against the spread. Portland is coming off an end-to-end win over the Orlando Magic.
Hereâs how sportsbooks have set the opening 76ers-Blazers odds.
NBA Odds: 76ers-Blazers Odds
Philadelphia 76ers -5.5 (-113)
Portland Trail Blazers +5.5 (-107)
Over 229 Points (-110)
Under 229 Points (-110)
Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
The last time these two teams met, the Blazers shot the Sixers off the court.
Portland had six guys score in double-digits and crushed Philly on the offensive glass, out-rebounding the Sixers 19-8 in that area.
Of course, Philly will have Ben Simmons on the court this time, but Portland knows what they have to do to beat this team.
Despite missing two of their three best players in C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers have performed fairly well recently. In their last seven matchups, they have covered the spread five times.
A big part of this success is due to the emergence of Gary Trent Jr.
Before C.J. went down, Trent was averaging 11.5 points on 44% from three. After he was placed in the starting lineup, Trent bumped his minutes and points while maintaining his efficiency, averaging 17.8 points on 42% from three.
Of course, the Blazers are still leaning heavily on Damian Lillard on the offensive end. Dame is playing 36 minutes a game and averaging 32 points since C.J.'s injury, often keeping Portland in games single-handedly.
Portland will need more than just Lillard against a Philadelphia defense that currently holds the third-best defensive ranking in the league.
Thankfully for the Blazers, the weakest part of the Sixers defense is probably at the perimeter. Philly locks up opponents inside the arc, holding teams to the fourth-lowest field-goal percentage.
But at the three-point line, the Sixers are outside the top ten in opponent three-point percentage, and 11th highest in three-pointers allowed.
This is a good matchup for a Blazers squad that leads the league in three-point attempts, and is only behind the Jazz in three-pointers made.
Look for Lillard and company to let them fly fast and often in an attempt to replicate their previous victory over the Sixers.
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
While the Sixers did fall to the Blazers earlier this season, it's hard to seriously credit that win because of the effect Ben Simmons has on this team.
In all three games Simmons has missed this season, the Sixers have lost by double digits.
Philadelphia doesn't really lose games with both of their stars healthy. Of their seven losses, only one came with both Joel Embiid and Simmons active.
Having the dynamic duo on the floor means that it's unlikely we see another Blazers blowout.
The key for Philly will be shutting down the Blazers role players. The Sixers should be okay with Damian Lillard getting his points, but if other guys on this Blazers roster start scoring 20+, Philly could be in trouble.
Offensively, the Sixers should get their points easily. The Blazers have one of the worst defenses in the league, allowing the fifth most points in the league and the sixth highest opponent field goal percentage.
Embiid should have a field day against a smaller Blazers roster. Enes Kanter, listed generously at 6'10â, should get the defensive assignment to start the game. It wouldn't be surprising to see Embiid drop a 30 point double-double.
Expect the Sixers to run the offense through Embiid as they have all season and pound the paint for easy looks and kickouts. If the big man is feeling it, this one could get ugly.
Final 76ers-Blazers Prediction & Pick
Considering the Sixers are nearly unbeatable when healthy, I don't see the Blazers as the team to end the streak. Portland is too reliant on Damian Lillard on the offensive end, and the Sixers have too many offensive weapons to counter a Dame outburst. I'll ride with Philly to cover the small spread in a fairly high-scoring game.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR 76ERS-BLAZERS: PHI 121, POR 112Â (PHI -5.5)
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