Game: Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Odds: Trail Blazers +6.5, Warriors -6.5
Total: 225
Golden State welcomes Portland to the Chase Center to for a clash between the Western Conference rivals. The Warriors have won five straight games and continue to lead the conference with a 16-2 record. It’s the best record in the NBA and well-deserved. The Warriors are simply the NBA’s best team at this point in the season.
Future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry leads the league in scoring averaging 28.2 points per game. The Warriors have the No. 1-ranked scoring offense in the league putting up 114.3 points per game. In addition to Curry, Andrew Wiggins (19.1 ppg) and Jordan Poole (18.3 ppg) score in double figures for Golden State.
The Warriors rank second in the NBA in overall field goal shooting percentage and fourth in three-point field goal shooting. They are also the No. 3 team in rebounding which gives the Warriors plenty of second-chance points.
It’s not just the offense either. Golden State is also the NBA’s best defensive team. They allow a league-low 100.8 points per game. It’s easy to see why as the Warriors are No. 1 in opponent field goal percentage and fourth in opponent three-point field goal percentage. Teams don’t shoot well when they face Golden State. That’s because of the defense. Not surprisingly, the Warriors rank No. 1 in defensive efficiency rating.
Portland had won four straight before losing to Sacramento on Wednesday night 125-121. The Trail Blazers started this season slowly. It was Damian Lillard who just couldn’t seem to get going this season. He has slowly started to turn that around. Lillard now leads Portland in scoring with an average of 22.3 points a game. Teammate CJ McCollum has cooled off a bit but still averages 20.6 a game.
The Trail Blazers are now fifth in the league in scoring. They average over 110 points per game and recently have been pouring it on opponents. In their last five games, Portland’s point totals are 118, 112, 118, 119, and 121. It should be no surprise that the Over has hit in five of Portland’s last six games. That includes their loss to Sacramento on Wednesday when the total was 225.5 which is similar to tonight’s total of 225.
Being the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense, the Warriors have the highest-scoring differential (+13.5) in the league. The defense has been so good that Golden State has seen the total go Under in five of its last seven games. That has not been the case in the last seven games against Portland. In those last seven games, the Over has hit five times.
The Warriors are 13-4-1 ATS this season. They have covered in each of their last five games as well as the last five games played at home in the Chase Center. Portland has struggled on the road this season going 1-8 SU so far this season. In their last 11 road games, the Trail Blazers have covered the spread just once.