Portland’s all-star point guard Damian Lillard is listed as questionable for the Trail Blazers’ first game out of the break tonight in Brooklyn. Lillard played 25 minutes in the all-star game, so it’s unclear where he suffered the sprained ankle that has him on the injury report. With that, Portland is currently a 1.5-point betting favorite with the total at 230.5. Once a ruling is made one way or the other on Lillard, I expect these numbers to move.
Trail Blazers vs Nets Game Center
Standout Stats
- Portland has only played one game without Damian Lillard this season, a 120-111 win vs Atlanta on January 26. Seth Curry started in his place and scored a season-high 22 points (Lillard’s average is 26.3).
- Portland (36.3 percent) and Brooklyn (35.8 percent) are seventh and ninth respectively in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage.
- The Nets take 21.7 personal fouls per game – 10th-most in the league. Meanwhile, Portland is the No. 2 free-throw shooting team at 81.5 percent.
- Opponents are scoring 122.7 points per game vs Brooklyn this month. That gives the Nets the No. 28 scoring defense in the NBA during February.
- The Nets rely on the three for 33.5 percent of their points – No. 4 in the NBA. Additionally, the Blazers rank No. 27 in opponent three-point percentage at 36.7 percent. The Nets have been shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc over their past 10 games, No. 22 in the league during that stretch. The Nets are 4-6 SU and ATS in their last 10.
- Enes Kanter is averaging 14 points per game this season. He’s averaging 22.3 points per game vs Brooklyn.
My Best bet for Trail Blazers-Nets
Blazers -1.5
I actually really like the Blazers at this low number, with or without Lillard. Seth Curry has shown he’s capable of getting the job done, and having the ball spend more time in the hands of CJ McCollum isn’t necessarily a bad thing. McCollum had 28 points in 37 minutes in the game that Lillard missed – seven points higher than his season average.
I would expect this line to move higher if Lillard is cleared to play and bettors might actually get a better number or some value on a Blazers moneyline if he’s ruled out. If you’re keen to swoop in on this game, pay close attention to Lillard’s status and line movement. Or, if you’re like me and don’t want to spend all day wondering, lock it in and move on. Blazers -1.5.
