NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs
NLB Staff
07.11.2024 12:31
Blazers vs Spurs Prediction
As the San Antonio Spurs have made growth over the last couple of games, they play another rising team in Portland that has won some convincing matchups already this season. With Portland coming off a massive 17-point victory against the Pelicans, the Spurs have won two of their past three games. This matchup will occur on November 8th at 6:30 A.M. IST in Frost Bank Center of San Antonio, Texas. Below are our key tips, betting odds, recent head-to-head performances, and public trends to make an accurate prediction for the matchup.
Blazers vs Spurs Key Betting Tips & Predictions
1. Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Moneyline Pick
As the Spurs' moneyline is at -182, they should have a comfortable win in this game. Although the offensive game of Scoot Henderson and his passing is something that he will get by Chris Paul, CP-3 will be able to provide that at the other end with his great ball-handling plus passing skills. Seeing that the Spurs still have Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle on the wings to score from three or inside, they will be able to outduel Deni Avdija plus Jermai Grant’s production on both ends. Seeing this along with Wemby’s dominance in the middle, the Spurs should win their money line for the 4th time in the last 5 games. Taking the -182 is a great choice because the Spurs should have some extra possessions that win them this game.
2. Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Point Spread Pick
As the spread in this game for the Spurs is at -4.5, they should have an upper hand with the Blazers missing their two-way wing in Shaedon Sharpe as well. Although the Spurs have shown some gaps and leaks on defense this season, Victor Wembanyaba has kept them strong with his elite blocking abilities. As Chris Paul has lost a step at point guard in defending, his passing ability is something that he really will be able to beat Scoot Henderson with as he has been pin-point with Harrison Barnes at forward. Seeing the growth of Barnes scoring the mid-range at a very high level and having the size over Deni Avdija, he should continue producing in this game. With the Spurs having a huge advantage in the middle as Wembanyaba gets someone less of a threat like De’Andre Ayton he could completely dominate him on both ends of the floor. Seeing that Stephon Castle can go on Jerami Grant in this game, they both will have huge scoring outputs but this will lead to the Spurs having an even bigger advantage on offense. Therefore, with the offensive-scoring prowess and defense being very physical for the Spurs, this -4.5 spread pick is perfect.
3. Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Over/Under Pick (Total Points)
As the over/under in this matchup is 216, this game’s scoreline should go over that. Since both teams have improved on the offensive game inside the paint at center, they have two forwards that can knock down the threes. Given that the Blazers do have a stronger backcourt in this game, the small forward and center position for San Antonio includes two of the best all-around scores league-wide. With the last game being exactly 216, these improvements should make it go even higher.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Top Player Props
De’Andre Ayton Under 16.5 Points at 2.0: As D’Andre Ayton will have a tough time going up against one of the best shot blockers in Victor Wembanyaba, this could cause him to have a very low-scoring output. As Wemby had 9 blocks last game, he can use his size and the ability to force Ayton out of the paint for fewer opportunities with Simmons and Henderson firing away from outside or driving in. Given that Ayton only averages 14.4 points an outing, it could be somewhere around or lower in this matchup.
Chris Paul over 10.5 points at 1.81: Given that Chris Paul can create a pick-and-roll game with Victor Wembanyaba in this game, he could use his ball-handling to lose both defenders plus get an easy drive to the basket. Something he is known for, even though Scoot Henderson is more athletic than him, his ability to switch on Simmons could give him way better opportunities. Averaging 13.0 points and 43.2% from deep, this should be a pretty big offensive performance for Paul that should definitely go above his season-average.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Injury News & Impact
Portland Trail Blazers Injuries: As Shaedeon Sharpe will probably be ruled out again due to a shoulder injury, his 15.9 points per game will be missed as one of the Blazer's most consistent perimeter shooters. Seeing this, they will have to once again rely on Anferee Simmons to have an expanded role with Scoot Henderson being the primary playmaker. In addition, Matisse Thybulle, 1.7 steals, will be a missing piece as someone who can run with the best of the dribblers. Seeing this, Scoot Henderson could potentially get less help from Simmons and could lessen their chances of dominance on that end against a pretty solid overall Spurs team.
San Antonio Spurs Injuries: With Tre Jones still out due to his ankle injury, the Spurs are missing a great facilitator on the offensive end that could back up Chris Paul. As Devin Vasell, 19.5 points last year, is still missing from this team, the Spurs will continue having to rely on the impact of Harrison Barnes with their top scorer Victor Wembanyaba being a force in the middle. Although this squad lost Jermey Soachan due to a left thumb injury, they will try and fill in that position with Keldon Johnson who has been one of the better scorers on this roster.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Head-to-Head Trends
As the Spurs have lately dominated this matchup winning 3 of their past 4 head to heads, this game will be a lot similar. With a mix of games that end up in blowouts and others that come down to the wire, 2 have ended with 14+ points deficient, while two ended up being scorelines within 5 points of each other. With the Spurs being 3-2 against the spread over the last 5 games, this streak should continue and their win percentage should become stronger.
Betting Insights & Public Trends
Heading into a matchup between the Blazers and Spurs, 67.7% of the bettors think that San Antonio will come out victorious in this game.
Portland Trail Blazers vs San Antonio Spurs Final Prediction
As the Blazers enter this game having a lot of growth from a season ago, they fall into a Spurs squad that has found great ability on both ends of the floor. With both squads having similar roster construction, this game will neither be super close nor a potential blowout. Given that San Antonio has the advantage, their biggest key is Victor Wembanayaba getting to go up against a much smaller De’Andre Ayton. As Ayton has still shown struggles on defense, it should give Wemby great looks in the paint and off screens from Keldon Johnson for three. With Chris Paul being at the helm, his offensive scoring will be slowed down by Scoot Henderson’s athleticism, but the playmaking is going to be impossible to stop. Having an excellent corner shooter like Keldon Johnson, his advantage over Jerami Grant will require a lot of help from Portland’s small forward Deni Avidja to lock him down. Given this, it will either give Wemby a free one-on-one with Ayton to the hoop or help Harrison Barnes continue being a great mid-range shooter in this league with tons of space for him. Seeing this, plus the ability of Wembanyaba to create extra possessions with the blocking ability over Ayton, he can help push the ball down the court and propel Stephon Castle for some easy buckets at the shooting guard position. With a matchup with Anfernee Simmons, Castle should have the ability to knock down threes at his own will and create better opportunities for the dribble. But, if Portland’s bench pieces like Rayan Rupert plus Keegan Murray provide great two-way ability, they could win this game.
Our prediction: The Spurs win this game and cover their -4.5 spread, while the score goes over 216.5 points.
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