The Portland Trail Blazers are going on the road, first visiting AT&T Center to face the San Antonio Spurs. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Blazers-Spurs prediction and pick.
The Blazers have lost two consecutive games at home against the Miami Heat and then the Boston Celtics. The team is currently sitting on the sixth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 31-23.
The Spurs have been struggling as of late and have dropped to the 10th seed in the Western Conference with a record of 26-27 after losing a very close game to the Toronto Raptors.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Blazers-Spurs odds.
NBA Odds: Blazers-Spurs Odds
Portland Trail Blazers -2.5 (-115)
San Antonio Spurs+2.5 (-105)
Over 235.5 Points (-112)
Under 235.5 Points(-108)
Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
Looking at the past 10 games for the Blazers, they have consistently defeated non-playoff teams—Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons—and lost to teams that are looking to make a deep playoff run such as the Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks.
With the recent changes to the roster and the return of Jusuf Nurkic, coach Terry Stotts is still figuring out rotations and trying to find some consistent production from his bench.
The issue has not been on the offensive end of the floors for the Blazers where they are currently rank as the sixth-best offensive team in the league. That's no surprise as they are being led by their dynamic backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, who are averaging 51.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 12.4 assists per game together, while each of them is shooting around 44 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the 3-point line.
The Blazers are also getting big minutes from key role players like Carmelo Anthony, Robert Covington and Enes Kanter, who are all averaging near double digits for the team. The recent addition of Norman Powell to the roster also gives another sharpshooter and player to handle the ball for Coach Stotts, which ultimately frees up Lillard and McCollum.
For this Portland team to cover the spread on Friday, they will need need a solid offensive night from their two stars, Lillard and McCollum, as they are facing the Spurs who are the 11th-best defensive team in the league.
Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread
The Spurs are finishing their road trip 2-5 as they return home for one game against the Blazers.
Gregg Popovich’s squad is very balanced offensively, with seven players averaging double-digit points, and solid on the defensive end of the floor where they currently rank 11th in the league. The issue for this San Antonio team on Friday then is not on the defensive end of the floor but rather if they can compete with the offensive production of the Blazers.
While the Spurs have many players that can score, this team will need a big game from their two stars, DeMar DeRozan and Dejounte Murray.
DeRozan has been averaging 21.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Murray, on the other hand, has been putting up 15.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field.
Popovich will need a lot more from his two stars, though, especially against the Blazers who rank as one of the best offenses in the league and are being led by Lillard and McCollum.
The Spurs can cover the spread on Friday against the Blazers if they can match the offensive production of this Portland team and prevent a big offensive game from both Dame and CJ.
Final Blazers-Spurs Prediction & Pick
The Blazers have yet to show their ability to consistently beat playoff teams. The root of this problem is not with their offense but the inability of this Portland team to put up any sort of barrier on the defensive end of the floor. For that reason and the fact that the Spurs are fundamentally sound on both ends of the floor, Popovich's men will not only cover the spread but pick up a big win to get back to a record of .500.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR BLAZERS-SPURS: POR 108, SAS 112 (SAS +2.5)
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