There is a logjam near the last few playoff seeds in the Western Conference. Both the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers are a part of that group, and will be facing off in a critical game this week.
The Clippers are currently on the outside of the postseason picture but have plenty of time to catch the teams ahead of them. Head-to-head tiebreakers might be in play if any teams tie, so the Clippers would be well-served to win this game for a couple reasons.
Portland has a slightly better record but will be playing on the road, which means it is projected to be the underdog in this contest. However, it could be a small spread and the game could go either way. The Blazers would benefit greatly from an upset win but it won’t be easy.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, January 30, 2018, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Staples Center. The game will be televised live on TNT
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Trail Blazers are 27-22 straight up and 24-21-4 against the spread. Portland has done really well on the road, going 15-9-1 against the spread. The Blazers 12-7-1 against the spread as the underdog.
The Clippers are 25-24 straight up and 27-22 against the spread. Los Angeles has covered in 13 of 25 attempts at home on the year. The Clippers have done a nice job as the favorite, covering in 16 of 26 games.
Key Stat
8. That’s the number of wins the Clippers have picked up in their past 11 games. Los Angeles traded star point guard Chris Paul in the offseason and then dealt with a lot of injuries early in the year.
However, it has gotten healthy of late and the new pieces added in the Paul trade are paying dividends. The Clippers are playing like a postseason team right now but need to show some consistency the rest of the way.
Lou Williams has been a big part of the team’s recent success. Even though he doesn’t start, Williams is leading the team in scoring at 23.6 points per game while adding 5.2 assists. He is the new piece of the triumvirate which leads the team, as DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are the other main parts.
Los Angeles has beaten some good teams of late and knocking off the Blazers would be another nice win.
Injury Report
Portland shooting guard Evan Turner missed the team’s most recent game for personal reasons but is expected back for this one. He is averaging 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
Turner has some games where he doesn’t play a big role, but did have 17 points in a recent victory the Mavericks.
The Clippers could have forward Danilo Gallinari back for this one. He has missed extended action with a torn glute but is listed as questionable. He likely wouldn’t have a huge role right away and wouldn’t affect the spread, but it would be nice for Los Angeles to get him back in the fold.
Point guard Austin Rivers continues to recover from an ankle injury. He isn’t going to play in this one but is trending toward a return soon. The Clippers are thin at point guard currently without Rivers, which is something the Blazers will try to exploit with star point guard Damian Lillard.
Free NBA ATS Picks
These teams are very evenly matched. The Clippers have some good high-end talent while Portland can match it with their star backcourt. The Blazers will have a hard time winning this game because it is on the road, but watch the spread closely.
Portland could be the right choice to cover even though Los Angeles is the choice to win this game outright.
NBA Odds: Clippers 104, Trail Blazers 103
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