The Portland Trail Blazers will be aiming to stretch their current winning streak to six games when they welcome the Brooklyn Nets into the Moda Center. Both teams met earlier this season and it was the Trail Blazers who came out on the winning side, 116-104, at the Barclays Center.
Meanwhile, if you’re craving for some more NBA action, check out our preview of the Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview
Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, Portland, Oregon
When: Tuesday, February 23, 2016, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Brooklyn Nets (+11.5) at Portland Trail Blazers (-11.5); total: 210.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: NBATV
Betting on the Brooklyn Nets (15-41)
Brooklyn’s longest road trip (nine games) of the season officially kicks off tonight at the Moda Center, where the Trail Blazers await them.
The Nets head into this encounter coming off an eight-point loss to the Hornets on Sunday night and will be desperate for a win. They’ve lost seven of their previous 10 games and currently own the fourth-worst record in the league right now. But Brooklyn can take a little bit of confidence on the fact that its offense is averaging almost a hundred points in the past five outings.
The trio of Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and Joe Johnson has been the main reasons for this scoring success. Lopez, in particular, has led the attack on a nightly basis, posting a team-high of 20.3 points along with 8.3 rebounds across 56 games. He also contributed 25 points and 7 rebounds during their earlier meeting with the Trail Blazers on January 15.
Young and Johnson, meanwhile, have also made their presence known, combining for 26.6 points, 12.9 boards and 5.9 assists this season. They’ll be trying to break through a Portland defense that’s allowing 102.0 points at home.
Speaking of defense, the Nets are going to be faced with a hefty task of locking up one of the league’s best backcourt duos in Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who are racking up 45.9 points combined. Brooklyn is giving up 104.1 points on the road this season.
Brooklyn is 3-7 SU and 5-5 ATS in its previous 10 road games.
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Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers (29-27)
The Trail Blazers are in high-spirits right now thanks to a five-game winning streak, which ties their longest of the season. In that stretch, the offense has been getting it done by averaging 115.2 points per contest. And of course, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have got their names written all over this scoring onslaught.
Lillard, who is putting up 25.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists this season, has been a man possessed as of late. He’s finished with 30 or more points in the past four games, including a 51-point outburst in their impressive win over the Warriors on Friday night.
McCollum, on the other hand, continues to establish himself as one of the most lethal scorers in the league. He is currently the Trail Blazers’ second-leading point-getter with 20.9 points a game and is shooting 40.1 percent from beyond the arc, the highest in the team.
However, if both Lillard and McCollum struggle with their shots against the Nets tonight, the Trail Blazers are going to be in a precarious situation because their bench has been really awful this year (13.3 points per contest). That said, the pressure is on Allen Crabbe and Meyers Leonard to lead the attack for the second unit. The two are tallying 11.0 and 8.5 points this season, respectively.
Portland is 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Trail Blazers (-11.5) win it, 112-99.
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