The Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers conclude the pre-All-Star break of their schedule against one another on Wednesday night in the Pacific Northwest. This rivalry hasn’t been much of one lately as the Warriors have dominated and they are solid favorites in the NBA lines.
Jusuf Nurkic (lower back soreness, right hip pain) didn’t return to Sunday’s game, finishing scoreless with three rebounds, two assists and one block in 14 minutes. Nurkic is questionable on Wednesday. Portland might just hold him out. Doing so would give him another 10 days of rest. Ed Davis should start at center if Nurk can’t play, with Zach Collins picking up the reserve minutes.
Moe Harkless said nothing has changed for him in Portland except for “opportunity.” “I think it’s just being back in the rotation,’’ Harkless said. “It’s hard to not know if you are going to play, how much you are going to play, then get thrown out there for six minutes. It’s tough to play like that and be consistent.’’ After falling out of the rotation for a while, Harkless has started four games in a row with averages of 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.
There’s a correlation between assist numbers and the Blazers winning. During the seven wins in eight games, they consistently recorded at least 20 assists per game. However, the team still ranks last in the league with 19.1 assists each contest.
How to Bet Warriors at Trail Blazers NBA Lines & Game Info
When: Wednesday, 10:30 PM ET Where: Moda Center, Portland TV: ESPN Stream: NBA League Pass Radio: 95.7 FM (Golden State) / (Portland) NBA Lines: Warriors -7 (-110)Riding a 3-game winning streak, the Dubs look to keep the momentum going into the #NBAAllStar break when they take on the Trail Blazers tomorrow in Portland. Get the complete game preview here 👇 https://t.co/cdjTbAM4iX
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 14, 2018
Season Series
Just one meeting so far this season. On Dec. 11 in Oakland, the Warriors won 111-104. Kevin Durant’s 28 points led six Golden State players scoring in double figures. Klay Thompson scored 24 points. Stephen Curry has made at least four three-pointers in nine consecutive games against Portland. In that span, he is shooting 52.9% from the three-point line. Damian Lillard led all players with 39 points. Lillard has scored 30-plus points in five of us last eight games against the Warriors. In that span, he has averaged 31.9 points and 4.9 assists. Lillard is an Oakland native and graduated from Oakland High School. Golden State has won seven straight in this series and its past two in Portland.Why Bet on Golden State?
Because the Warriors are by far the NBA’s best team. The only worry here might be if coach Steve Kerr rests All-Stars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and/or Draymond Green to give them a couple of extra days off before the All-Star break. The Dubs enter on a three-game winning streak, all in blowout fashion. Golden State swept its 3-game homestand, averaging 124.0 points per game while limiting opponents to 97.0 points a contest. They crushed the visiting Suns 129-83 on Monday. Kerr did something to perk up his bored team: turned over all coaching duties. Andre Iguodala took over at morning shootaround, JaVale McGee ran the computer for the film session and Iguodala, Green and David West got most of the work designing plays and running the huddle during timeouts. Kerr and his assistants only did substitutions.How Well Did They Play This Game?
Durant played 30 minutes and hit 8-of-9 shots and a 3-pointer for 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Curry added 22 points, nine boards, seven assists and three 3-pointers and Thompson had 16 points and two 3-pointers on a night Green was out with a sprained left index finger. Omri Casspi started for Green and hit 7-of-10 shots and a 3-pointer for a season-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and two assists. It looks as if Green will sit this one out and Casspi to start again. In seven starts for the Warriors, he’s averaging 11.9 points (.586 FG%, .500 3pt%) and 7.1 rebounds. Golden State has won 25 consecutive games when posting 120-plus points, with the only loss this season coming opening night versus Houston. The Warriors (44-13, .772) have the 4th-highest winning percentage before the NBA All-Star Weekend in franchise history.Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 115.88
- Field Goals: 51.11%
- Three Points: 39.44%
- Free Throws: 80.87%
- Rebounds: 44.32
- Average Score Against: 107.47%
- Field Goals: 44.11%
- Three Points: 35.69%
- Free Throws: 75.73%
- Rebounds: 41.88
Why Bet on Portland?
The Blazers (31-26) had a two-game winning streak snapped in a 115-96 loss to Utah on Sunday. Utah beat Portland in every way that matters on a basketball court: They had more assists (23-16), points in the paint (44-30), fast-break points (16-8) and rebounds (58-37) than Portland. Damian Lillard, coming off a 50-point game against Sacramento on Friday night, had 39 points for Portland. It was Lillard’s 16th game of 30-plus points this season, which is tied for the seventh most in the NBA. Lillard is tied for seventh in the NBA in scoring (25.5) and tied for eighth in assists (6.7). He is one of four players in the league who rank in the top-ten in both categories. The Blazers had won nine in a row at home. C.J. McCollum finished Sunday’s game with 22 points on 8-of-22 shooting, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and five turnovers.Who’s Out Due to Injury?
Jusuf Nurkic (lower back soreness, right hip pain) didn’t return to Sunday’s game, finishing scoreless with three rebounds, two assists and one block in 14 minutes. Nurkic is questionable on Wednesday. Portland might just hold him out. Doing so would give him another 10 days of rest. Ed Davis should start at center if Nurk can’t play, with Zach Collins picking up the reserve minutes.
Moe Harkless said nothing has changed for him in Portland except for “opportunity.” “I think it’s just being back in the rotation,’’ Harkless said. “It’s hard to not know if you are going to play, how much you are going to play, then get thrown out there for six minutes. It’s tough to play like that and be consistent.’’ After falling out of the rotation for a while, Harkless has started four games in a row with averages of 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds.
There’s a correlation between assist numbers and the Blazers winning. During the seven wins in eight games, they consistently recorded at least 20 assists per game. However, the team still ranks last in the league with 19.1 assists each contest.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 104.68
- Field Goals: 45.32%
- Three Points: 37.97%
- Free Throws: 80.10%
- Rebounds: 44.82
- Average Score Against: 103.72
- Field Goals: 44.70%
- Three Points: 36.93%
- Free Throws: 75.93%
- Rebounds: 42.91
Latest NBA Betting Trends
- Over is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings in Portland.
- Warriors are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Portland.
- Over is 21-8 in the last 29 meetings.
- Warriors are 37-18 ATS in the last 55 meetings.
- Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
