Golden State Warriors (20-15) +2, o/u 208 at Portland Trailblazers (21-13), 10 pm Eastern Wednesday
by Zman of Predictem.com
Two of the hottest teams in the league look to continue to make an impact in the Western Conference when the Golden State Warriors take on the Portland Trailblazers Wednesday night at the Rose Garden.
NBA betting boards have Portland posted as a two-point home favorite for Wednesday night’s game, with a total of 208. Also, the Blazers are listed at around -145 on various Vegas moneylines, with the Warriors getting around +125 as road underdogs.
Golden State stared this season 0-6, but after beating San Antonio Monday night in overtime 130-121, the Warriors have won 20 of their last 29 games. Heading into Wednesday’s action, GS sits in third place in the Pacific Division, 4 games back of the first-place Phoenix Suns.
After starting its season 5-12, Portland has won 16 of its last 17 games, including a 103-89 decision over Utah Saturday. So at the moment, the surprising Blazers are tied for first place in the Northwest Division with the Denver Nuggets.
Portland beat Golden State 105-95 in the first meeting this season between these two teams back on Dec. 12, a game that stayed under its total of 209. Last season, it was the Warriors who took two of three games vs. the Blazers. Those last four games in this series have averaged 200.5 total points.
This season, Golden State is 17-18 against the spread, and 11-8 straight up and 10-9 vs. the numbers on the road. Meanwhile, Portland has been one of the best teams in the league to bet on, going 22-12 ATS, and a profitable 16-3 SU and 14-5 vs. the numbers at home.
The Warriors rank 12th in the league in per-game point differential at +1.5, while the Blazers rank 15th at +.9.
Golden State is shooting 45% from the field as a team this season, 35% from 3-point land and 74% from the free-throw line. On the other end of the court, Portland is shooting 46% from the field, 39% from long range and 76% from the stripe.
But neither of these two teams has been very good on the boards this season. While the Blazers rank 23rd in the league at -1.9 rebounds per game, the Warriors are even worse, ranking 29th (out of 30 teams) at -5.3 per game.
The Sagarin PREDICTOR ratings at USAToday.com ranks GS 11th at 92.5, Portland 15th at 90.6.
On the injury front, Blazers G Brandon Roy, who’s been a real catalyst for this team’s recent success, had to pull out of Saturday’s game in the first quarter after aggravating a tailbone injury. But he’s listed as probable for Wednesday’s game.
The o/u is 18-16 in Warriors games this season, which are averaging 216 total points per, while the totals are 14-20 in Portland games, which are averaging 192 points.
Zman’s Pick: Now is not the time to start fading the Blazers when their only a 2 point favorite after winning 12 straight home games vs. many teams better than the Warriors. Expect more of the same tonight, Blazermania dominance!
