Two teams headed in opposite directions will square off in the Rose City when the Blazers host the Nets. Portland has won 10 of 11 with a 32-point blowout of Golden State included, while the Nets haven’t won in their last six away games.
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SCHEDULING
Before embarking on a nine-game, three-week road trip, the Nets had some business to take care of at home. They didn’t do a very good job. Sunday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets gave Brooklyn a split of its four-game homestand and wrapped up a stretch where the Nets managed just three wins over the past eight games with seven of those played at the Barclay’s Center. Brooklyn’s trip begins in Portland with a tour of the Western Conference before finishing up with games against Toronto and Philadelphia. The Nets have lost six straight on the road and are just 4-19 SU. They have done well against the spread however, with a 13-10 ATS record in away games.
The Blazers grabbed everyone’s attention with their 32-point blowout of Golden State on Friday. But the way they’re playing it probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Since playing the most road games of any NBA team through the middle of January, the Blazers are making up for it in a big way. Ten of their past 12 games have been played at the Moda Center and the Blazers are 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in those 10. They broke up a seven-game home stay with a road trip to Houston and Memphis and won those games, too. The Blazers are 10-1 in their past 11 overall while covering the spread nine times. Portland won 116-104 as a 4-point favorite at Brooklyn on Jan. 15.
INJURIES
The Nets are without two key backcourt players in Jarrett Jack and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Jack is done for the year after surgery to repair a torn ACL. Hollis-Jefferson went down early in the season with a fractured ankle but is eyeing a return to the club sometime in March.
Noah Vonleh returned to the Blazers lineup after missing four games before the break with a sprained ankle, giving Portland a roster with no injuries reported.
KEY MATCHUP
It’s been quite a start to the post-break portion of the Blazers schedule for Damian Lillard. He had a career-high 51 points in the stunning win over Golden State and followed that with 30 against the Jazz on Sunday. A 40.5 points per game average after the break isn’t too shabby, but it isn’t even the best in the NBA. New Orleans’ Anthony Davis is at 46.5 following All-Star festivities. Back to Lillard, he became the first Portland player to score at least 30 points in four consecutive games since 1991 and has attempted at least 20 field goals in six straight. His percentage isn’t great, but for Lillard it’s about volume. He is the go-to guy on the Blazers roster after the team lost its other four starters from last season’s 51-win club, and he isn’t shy about launching shots. Lillard was hot against the Warriors on Friday, hitting 9 of 12 threes and 18 of 28 from the field overall to amass his career-best total. His points also come in bunches. He scored 12 in succession against Utah when he wasn’t his best from the floor. Brooklyn’s backcourt is a mess and Lillard has another chance to put up some lofty numbers.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It’s difficult to say if there’s a hotter team in the NBA right now than the Blazers. They’ve won five straight and 10 of 11 while going 9-2 ATS in that span. They crushed the Warriors 137-105 on Friday for their biggest victory of the season and have taken advantage of some soft scheduling also. Lillard and C.J. McCollum form a quality backcourt pair and the contributions are coming from everywhere on the roster. We are talking about a team this is just 29-27 on the year, but that’s well above where most predicted the Blazers would be. Brooklyn, meanwhile, is a mess. The Nets have just four road victories this season, the second fewest in the entire league and one more than the lowly Sixers. They haven’t won consecutive games since early-December and are 0-6 SU and 1-5 ATS in their last six away games. All signs point to a Blazers victory.
Portland 113, Brooklyn 102
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The contest pitting the Brooklyn Nets versus the Portland Trail Blazers will commence Tuesday, February 23, 2016, at 10 p.m. ET at the Moda Center. You can watch the game live on NBA TV.
