The Portland Trail Blazers head to Miami in search of a road win that has become elusive as of late. That won’t come easy, especially against the Heat, one of the best home teams throughout the regular season. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets attempt to even their regular season series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Portland Trail Blazers vs. Miami Heat (7:30 PM EST)
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers
[sc:NBA240banner ]Despite going just 4-6 SU in their last 10 games, the Blazers seemed to have recovered their offensive rhythm after averaging 110.6 PPG in their last five games. However, as good as they have been on offense, their defense remains sloppy. Against a lottery-bound Milwaukee team on Tuesday, the Blazers gave up 115 points in an overtime win.
Portland could get away with poor defense against a team like the Bucks, but not against a team of Miami Heat’s caliber. They could be catching the Heat at a good time though, as Miami is mired in a slump of its own. Moreover, the Blazers are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games in South Beach.
Betting on the Miami Heat
With their chief Eastern Conference rival, Indiana, eating losses lately, the Miami Heat could have overtaken the Pacers at the top of the conference standings. Except that they, too, are having trouble figuring out a way out of a slump that saw them lose seven of 10 games.
In their last game, the Heat were felled by the New Orleans Pelicans, 105-95. LeBron James, already playing with a sore back, tweaked his ankle but remained in the game. He finished with a near triple-double with 25 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.
Before heading on a three-game road trip, the Heat play Portland at home, where they are 8-2 SU in their last 10. Without LaMarcus Aldridge plying his craft inside for the Blazers, Miami could wreak havoc in the paint. They are no. 7 in the league in points in the shaded area, averaging 45.9 PPG.
Prediction – Heat Cover
The Heat play their best when at home, while the Blazers still haven’t solved their woes on the road. Portland will definitely miss the service of Aldridge in this game.
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00 PM EST)
Line: Denver Nuggets (+10.5) at Oklahoma City Thunder (-10.5); total 220.0
Betting on the Denver Nuggets
The chances of the Denver Nuggets making the playoffs may be slim but that won’t stop them from plugging away. They have won five of their last seven games, including a 105-102 victory against the Washington Wizards on Sunday night. Over that period, they’ve defeated a couple of top contenders, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, which also resulted in a couple of ATS wins. The Nuggets keep a 6-1 ATS record in their last seven games.
This recent success resembles the Nuggets’ record against the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. Denver has won three of its last five games against the Thunder and covered the spread in all but one. In their most recent meeting, the Nuggets negated Kevin Durant’s 30 points with the backcourt tandem of Ty Lawson and Randy Foye combining for 40 points and 15 assists for a 101-88 win.
Denver has been smoking hot from the outside in their last three games, hitting a total of 35 treys.
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder
With ice water running through his veins, Kevin Durant sank a game-winning three against the Toronto Raptors last Friday to give the Oklahoma City Thunder a 119-118 victory, the Thunder’s third straight win and fifth in six games. It was Durant’s 34th consecutive 25-point games and the fourth 50-point performance in his career.
Based from his recent performances against the Nuggets, it seems that Durant will blow up the stat sheets once again. He is averaging 32.7 PPG on 42.6% shooting in three games against Denver this season.
But aside from Durant’s scoring pedigree versus the Nuggets, Oklahoma City could reap dividends off the absence of Denver’s top rebounder, J.J. Hickson (ACL). Denver is one of the few teams that does a better job of clearing the boards than Oklahoma City – no. 3 in NBA with 45.4 RPG – as the Nuggets are second overall in that department. Without Hickson, the Thunder are bound to dominate the glass.
Prediction – Thunder Win and Cover
Life without Hickson against Oklahoma City would be a very difficult for the Nuggets. Thunder wins with a margin of at least 12 points.
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