The San Antonio Spurs severely battered the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 with a convincing 116-92 victory. Can the Trail Blazers recover and prevent San Antonio from taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the series?
Game 2 is going to be an interesting matchup for sure, even if most of the experts we surveyed predicted the Spurs would win the series. Speaking of predictions, you can create a betting account now and make your game viewing more intense by backing the team of your choice. Or fill out this NBA Playoff survey and get $5.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs Round 2, Game 2 Betting Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – May 6, Portland 92 San Antonio 116
Game 2 – May 8, 9:30 PM ET, Portland (+7) at San Antonio (-7); total: 207.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 3 – May 10, 10:30 PM ET, San Antonio at Portland
Game 4 – May 12, 10:30 PM ET, San Antonio at Portland
Game 5 – (if necessary) May 14, Portland at San Antonio
Game 6 (if necessary) – May 16, San Antonio at Portland
Game 7 (if necessary) – May 19, Portland at San Antonio
Betting on the Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers must have been shocked that they couldn’t buy a basket against the San Antonio Spurs.
After outdueling the Houston Rockets in a scoring showdown in the first round, the Trail Blazers went gun shy against San Antonio in Game 1 as they churned out their lowest point total in these Playoffs.
[sc:NBA240banner ]LaMarcus Aldridge (32 points) and Damian Lillard (17 points), the two players Portland was hoping to deliver much of the scoring punch, did score, albeit mostly when the game was practically out of hand; the duo only managed 17 points in the first half, when the Spurs already had a 26-point cushion.
Throughout the regular season, the Trail Blazers were notoriously a bad defensive team. It still is true in these Playoffs. They are allowing 112 PPG, the worst among teams in the postseason. Against a team of San Antonio’s caliber, the Trail Blazers can’t spend too much time sleeping on defense.
The Trail Blazers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs’ bench was in full force in Game 1. Led by Marco Belinelli (19 points, 3-5 3FG), the Spurs’ relievers exploded for 50 points, overwhelming Portland’s bench, which had just 19.
Add in the prolific offense of Tony Parker (33 points, 13-24 FG) and the rest of the starters and the Spurs reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth straight time. The team is looking to be an unbeatable if this kind of offense continues.
The total has now hit the over in the Spurs’ last four games.
On the defensive end, Kawhii Leonard was all over Lillard, especially in the first half. He limited the Trail Blazers’ spitfire to just four first half points, and there’s no reason to think that he won’t be right in Lillard’s face again in Game 2.
With the victory in Game 1, the Spurs improved to 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three home games against Portland.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs have the most reliable bench in the league and it will continue to do heavy damage against the Blazers, who will have a better showing on offense in Game 2. Expect the Spurs to go up 2-0 in the series and for the total to go over (207.0).
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