The Portland Trail Blazers look to avoid their third loss in a row as they continue their six-game road trip vs the Washington Wizards. The Blazers fell to the Lakers and Timberwolves and are 3-3 SU in six road games this season. On the other hand, the Wizards were stunned by the Nets at home and are one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season at 5-10 SU in 15 games.
The Blazers opened as 1-point favorites with a total of 225.
- The Blazers are 10-5 SU and ATS in 15 games this season.
- Washington is ranked 29th in points allowed per game this season (116.7).
- The UNDER has hit in 6 the Blazers’ last 7 games (average combined score: 214.5).
Blazers vs Wizards Game Center
Blazers Have Been Reliable on the Spread
Despite dropping their last two games, the Blazers have been dependable for spread-bettors this season. Portland is sitting at 10-5 SU and ATS and is tied with Oklahoma City for the best spread-record in the NBA. The Blazers are one of three teams to rank in the top 10 in points per game and points allowed per game and are in a three-way tie for second place in the Western Conference.
However, dating back to last season, the Trail Blazers have been a losing wager when in road games. Portland is 3-10 SU and ATS in its last 13 away games and has dropped four of the last five games in this matchup. The inconsistency on the road makes it tough for bettors to trust the Blazers.
I’m willing to overlook the road woes in this matchup because the backcourts essentially negate each other and Portland's frontcourt is way better than the Wizards. The Trail Blazers already lost to this team at home but I think they'll avoid their third-straight loss. I also tend to side with West teams over East teams due to how battle-tested Western Conference teams usually are.
Wizards and Defense in the Same Sentence is Laughable
As much praise as the Blazers have gotten for covering the spread, the opposite can be said for the Wizards this season. The Wiz are 5-10 ATS in 15 games this season and are the worst spread record in the league with that record. Washington has losses to Brooklyn, Orlando, Dallas this year which is near inexcusable for a squad that was boasting about being a top-three team in the Eastern Conference coming into the season.
The main reason for the Wiz falling short of expectations is simple: they don’t play defense. Washington is ranked 29th in points allowed per game (116.7), 26th in opponent field goal percentage (47.1 percent) and 29th in opponent three-point percentage (38 percent). Adding Dwight Howard was supposed to correct some of the defensive and rebounding issues but the Wizards are being outrebounded by 6.7 boards per game which again, ranks 29th in the NBA.
I can’t endorse the Wizards to cover the spread, win the game or even make the playoffs at this rate. The play of John Wall and Bradley Beal doesn’t seem to be working out and while they’re combining to average 42.8 points per game, that’s over six points less the 2016-17 season when they both made the All-Star team.
Blazers’ Games Leading to UNDERs
The total opened at 222.5 and trends are pointing to another UNDER when Portland is involved. The UNDER has hit in six of the Blazers’ last seven games with an average combined score of 214.7 points per game. The UNDER has also hit in three of the Wizards’ last four games at home with an average combined score of 215.5.
My Pick Is…
To take the Blazers moneyline. I don’t feel very confident in either side but gun to my head, I would side with the team with 10 wins over five wins due to the negligible spread. I also think these teams could end up going OVER that total despite the recent trends of their games going UNDER. So, I’m sticking with the Blazers to win this game.
