Portland gets this rematch at home, which will make it the favorite to come away victorious. The Blazers sit 1.5 games ahead of Denver for the last playoff spot and a strong finish will clinch it for them. However, Minnesota helped put a dent in that lead recently and would love to play spoiler again in this one.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, April 6, 2017, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Timberwolves are 31-45 straight up and 34-42 against the spread this season. Minnesota has played in 36 away games on the season and has only covered in 14 of them. The Timberwolves are 20-21 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
The Blazers are 38-39 straight up and 37-40 against the spread. Portland has played in 37 home games this season and has covered in 19 of them. The Trail Blazers are 21-20 against the spread as the favorie on the season.
Player to Watch
Damian Lillard -- Portland’s leading scorer has been a huge piece to this late-season push that’s keeping Portland alive in the Western Conference playoffs. Lillard averages 26.8 points per game and 5.9 assists per game.
In the recent six-game winning streak, Lillard averaged 25.7 points per game, which included three games of 30 points or more. He averaged 29.1 points for the month of March.
Lillard missed the first meeting between these two teams back in January, but finished with 21 in Portland’s 112-100 win on March 25th and had 25 points in Tuesday’s narrow 110-109 loss. He had an attempt at a game-winner but it glanced off the rim He will be looking for another big performance this Thursday at home as the Trail Blazers try to rebound.
Key Stat
1.5. That’s how many games currently separate the eighth-seeded Trail Blazers from the Denver Nuggets. To put it another way, that’s how many games separate Portland from a playoff berth.
Portland has just five more regular season games remaining on its schedule so every matchup counts. The Blazers face Utah twice in the final stretch and also take on San Antonio at home on April 10th.
The Trail Blazers are trying for their fourth playoff appearance in five years and their sixth in the last ten years. They missed last season but have improved this season after some offseason re-tooling and the continued progress of Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
Free NBA ATS Pick
Portland suffered a big blow when it lost Jusuf Nurkic recently to a season-ending injury. The Blazers must make up for that critical loss in order to hang on to the No. 8 seed. The Blazers are in the driver’s seat to make the postseason, but Denver hopes to keep the pressure on down the stretch.
Portland has some tough games the rest of the way, so this is a must-win. The T-Wolves have talented young players but are inconsistent, especially on the road. The choice here is for the Trail Blazers to take care of business at home and help themselves zero in on a berth in the postseason.
Portland should be able to cover, as long as the spread isn’t too large.
NBA Odds: Blazers 106, Timberwolves 96
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
