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The Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers square off in a Western Conference showdown on Thursday 11/18/18 at the Moda Center in Portland.
The Clippers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-109 in their most recent outing while the Blazers are coming off a 118-103 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in their last assignment.
Good at Home, Mediocre On The Road
The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves at 6-4 on the season and having a better record than their more publicized cross town rival Lakers. The Clippers have been very good at the Staples Center with a home record of 4-1. However, they have been mediocre at best on the road with a 2-3 standing away from home.
Tobias Harris has been the key to the Clippers’ success. The 6-9 forward is currently averaging a team best 21.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game this season. Not only is Harris scoring, he is also doing so at a high accuracy. The former 19th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft is shooting 53% from the field and 42% from behind the three point line. Harris is also making a career best 1.9 three pointers per game this season.
Summer addition Danilo Gallinari is also having an exceptional season averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 three point baskets made per game this season. Scoring machine Lou Williams is slightly off the 20 point pace with his 19.1 scoring average but he, Harris and Gallinari have shot above 40% from the three point area for the Clippers.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Portland Trail Blazers 11/8/18
Moneyline Odds: Clippers +185, Blazers -215
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 11/8/18
McCollum Explodes Against The Bucks
The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a nice start this season with an 8-3 record that puts them at #3 in the ultra competitive Western Conference. Portland was also the #3 team when the 2018 postseason began last season but they were swept by the Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs. A year older and hopefully better, the Blazers look to build on their success as they try to go over the hump this season.
Big man Jusuf Nurkic entered this season with a 10.8 points and 7.7 rebounds career average but the 7 footer is having a banner season with his current 15.0 points and 9.9 rebounds average. Aside from Nurkic, guard Nik Stauskas is averaging 8.3 points on a career best 42.5% three point shooting clip. The contributions of the likes of Nurkic and Stauskas has mae Portland’s offense less predictable and more dangerous.
Who Wins?
The Blazers lead the all-time series between these teams at 144-77 and have won three in a row after the Clippers won seven straight on them from November 30, 2015 to October 26, 2017. Portland won the most recent game between these teams 105-96.
The Blazers and Clippers are off to a good start to their 2018-19 campaign. Behind their dynamic backcourt and the improved play of Nurkic, Zach Collins and Nik Stauskas, the Blazers are 3rd in the Western Conference with their 8-3 record. The Clippers meanwhile find themselves a surprise entry tied for 5th in the West. Portland will be without Maurice Harkless in this contest while the Clippers will miss Avery Bradley and Luc Mbah Moute in this game.
The Clippers have struggled on the road this season while the Blazers have the third best home record in the West right now. Portland should be feeling good about themselves after taking down the Bucks who had only one loss prior to their November 7th meeting.
We’re picking the Portland Trail Blazers to hold serve and beat the Los Angeles Clippers on 11/8/18.
Other Bets To Make
The Clippers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games on the road and 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games overall. The Blazers meanwhile are 22-7 ATS in their last 29 home games and are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. Head to head, the Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 meetings and the home team is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
Los Angeles is also just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against teams with a winning record and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against teams from the Northwest Division. On the other hand, the Blazers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games against Atlantic Division team and 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games played on a Thursday.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Portland Trail Blazers 11/8/18
Spread Odds: Clippers +5 (-110), Blazers -5 (-110)
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 11/8/18
The Blazers aren’t just 3-0 SU in their last three games against the Clippers, they are also 3-0 ATS in their last 3 games versus Los Angeles with an average winning margin of 10.0 points per game. The Blazers are 5-2 ATS in seven home games this season. I’m taking the home team in this match-up. The Blazers have been solid at the Moda Center to start the season.
Prediction: Blazers -5
The total has gone over in 4 out of the last 6 games of the Clippers and also over in 4 out of their last 6 road games. Meanwhile, the under is 5-1 in the Blazers’ last six games overall and the under is also 4-2 in the last six meetings between the Clippers and the Blazers.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Portland Trail Blazers 11/8/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 225.5 -110, Under 225.5 -110
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 11/8/18
These are two very offensive minded teams with Portland ranked 4th in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Los Angeles two spots below at #6. The average total score for the Clippers’ games this season is 226 points while that of the Blazers is 224.7 points.
Prediction: Over 225.5
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