The Portland Trail Blazers have been breathing fire on offense in their last couple of games, but can they continue to do that against the defense of the LA Clippers, which is led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George? Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the LA Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA Regular Season Game on August 8, 2020
Where: Walt Disney World, Orlando
When: Saturday, August 8, 2020, 1:00 PM ET
Line: LA Clippers (Odds) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (Odds) – view all 2020 NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the LA Clippers (odds)
Regular Season Record: 46-22
LA Clippers Betting Guide: View here (it’s free!)
The Clippers returned to the win column on Thursday with a resounding 126-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers’ poise in the fourth quarter and the steady play of their superstar duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were key factors for the victory, but those weren’t as much of a surprise as Ivica Zubac’s performance. Zubac had 21 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting from the field to go with 15 rebounds. It did not look like a fluke outing for Zubac, as he also had a terrific showing in last Tuesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns in which he had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Zubac will continue to have a significant role for the Clippers at least until Montrezl Harrell comes back into the team’s fold. Harrell has yet to join the Clippers in Disney World due to personal reasons. The Clippers is also unsure of when Patrick Beverley will make his Orlando bubble debut, as he continues to deal with a left calf strain.
The Clippers, who have defeated Portland twice this season already, are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games.
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (odds)
Regular Season Record: 32-28
The Blazers, particularly Damian Lillard, seemed to look at the baskets in their 125-115 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday like it’s bigger than the entire Moda Center. Lillard was unconscious in that game, drilling 11 3-pointers on 18 attempts and finished with a game-high 45 points. As a team, Portland hit 23 threes. That’s just been the story for the Blazers from downtown in the Orlando bubble. In fact, they have hit 47.2 percent of their shots from deep in their last four games. Gary Trent Jr. has become some sort of a revelation for Portland in Orlando. The second-generation NBA pro is averaging 20.3 points on 58.7 percent shooting from the field and an insane 62.9 percent clip from behind the 3-point line. That kind of shooting is susceptible to regression, but Portland can also rely on their bigs to lead them against the Clippers, whose banged-up frontline is looking like a chicken barbecue for the rejuvenated Jusuf Nurkic, Hassan Whiteside, and Zach Collins.
The Blazers are 4-0-1 against the spread in their last five games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Blazers win, 117-114.
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