The Brooklyn Nets suffered their first back-to-back defeats this season after losing to Stephen Curry and the rest of the Golden State Warriors last Thursday. They now look to break their skid when they pay the Portland Trail Blazers a visit. The Blazers are on a roll right now, stringing together three-straight wins, the last being a ruthless beating of the Denver Nuggets. Can the Nets end their slide? Or will the Blazers continue their win streak?
Later today, the TCU Horned Frogs look to solidify their chances for a top four finish in the NCAA when they square off with the Kansas Jayhawks. You can read a preview of that game here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Brooklyn Nets vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview
Where: Moda Center, Portland
When: Saturday, November 15, 10:00PM ET
Line: Brooklyn at Portland Trail Blazers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are coming off a 107-99 loss Thursday to the Golden State Warriors to remain winless in their current three-game road trip, which will end at Portland on Saturday.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Nets’ relievers are going to be a key asset for the team against Portland. Brooklyn’s bench is scoring 34.4 PPG, ninth best in the NBA. Jarrett Jack had a fantastic game off the bench against the Warriors, going 10-for-10 from the field on his way to scoring a team-high 23 points. Backup forward Mirza Teletovic, meanwhile, failed to buy a basket against the Warriors to finish with his first zero-point output (0-for-4 FG) this season.
Teletovic is a sharpshooting stretch forward who averages 2.5 made triples per game and 11.3 PPG. His futility from the outside against the Warriors isn’t an isolated case, though, as the whole team went just 3-for-16 from beyond the arc. The Blazers are the best team in defending against the three, as they are allowing only five three-pointers per game, which means Brooklyn have to find other ways to put up points.
Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are two dynamic guards who are capable of scoring either by shooting jump shots or driving to the basket. Williams is shooting 36.7% from the three-point area, while Johnson has a 42.4 clip. In addition, Williams is among the league leaders in scoring off drives with 7.6 PPG coming from penetrations
The Nets are 3-2 ATS in their last five games.
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Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers
Scoring is the name of Portland’s game and the Blazers used it to the hilt when they left the Rockies with a commanding 130-113 road win over the Denver Nuggets last Sunday. Up ahead for Portland is a home game against the Nets, whom the Blazers have defeated in their last two meetings.
To say that the Blazers have had a hot start against Denver would be an understatement. Portland scored 84 points in the first half of that game with Damian Lillard putting up 16 of his team-high 27 points during that stretch. LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers’ top scorer with an average of 21.9 PPG, only had 12 points. But with the rest of the team clicking on offense, Aldridge didn’t have to score a lot. Instead, he made his presence felt more on the defensive end as he also recorded seven rebounds and six blocks.
Defense has been the biggest improvement for the Blazers this season. Opposing teams are averaging just 97.2 PPG against Portland, a significant improvement to the 102.8 PPG they gave away last season. Against Brooklyn, Lillard and backcourt partner Wesley Matthews will have to step up on defense, as they are going to be up against the high-scoring guards of the Nets in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.
Writer’s Prediction
Brooklyn wins, 108-105.
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