The Portland Trail Blazers (42-20) play the visiting Detroit Pistons (23-41) at the Moda Center. The game starts at 10:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 13 and will air on FSN-DET and CSN-NW.
The Trail Blazers beat the Rockets 105-100 on Wednesday. LaMarcus Aldridge played a key role, recording 26 points and 14 rebounds to notch his 32nd double-double this season. The Pistons, meanwhile, are coming off a 105-98 loss at the hands of the Warriors on Wednesday. Andre Drummond scored 22 points and recorded 27 rebounds earning his 36th double-double of the season.
Over the last five games, Greg Monroe has been on fire for the Pistons. During that stretch, he has averaged 18.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 block.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Trail Blazers won the first game 98-86. Wesley Matthews was a top performer in the victory with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal, and three three-pointers.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Trail Blazers enter the game with records of 42-20 Straight Up (SU) and 32-29-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 18-6 SU and 12-12 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Portland has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a league-high .801. The Trail Blazers have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the second-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 46.2 per game, while the Pistons rank fourth in the league with 45.5 per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Trail Blazers, who allow a league-low 93.5 points per home game. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Trail Blazers, allowing a field goal percentage of only .433.
On the other side, Detroit has a SU record of 23-41 and an ATS record of 30-34. When traveling to play against teams in the Western Conference, Detroit has a record of 8-5 ATS, but only 5-8 SU. Detroit is one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. The Pistons average 45.5 rebounds per game, making them the fourth-best team in the league for that category.
Portland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against the Pistons to 8-2 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, the Trail Blazers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Both Portland and Detroit have led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last 10.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
Detroit ranks 20th in points per game with 98.1, while Portland ranks ninth in points allowed with an average of 97.4 given up.
Detroit puts up 95.9 points per away game this season. However, Portland is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 93.5 per game.
Detroit has a 17-14 record when allowing fewer than 100 points. Portland has a 10-14 record when it scores fewer than 100 points.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pistons are just 6-27 this season. Portland is a stellar 32-6 when registering triple digits.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 101.5 (ranked 18th), while the Trail Blazers rank third for their defensive rating of 99.4.
Portland has an average field goal percentage of 44.4%. Detroit is a losing 11-29 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Detroit Pistons both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Portland is 19th and 11th in the league for FG% and EFF% respectively, while Detroit is 29th and 24th in these categories.
Portland makes an average of 22.0 assists per game (ranked 10th), while Detroit makes 21.1 assists per game (ranked 19th).
Portland makes an average of 4.8 blocks per game (ranked 10th), while Detroit makes 4.5 blocks per game (ranked 18th).
Portland is ranked 16th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Detroit ranks 13th in defensive rebounds.
The Detroit Pistons make an average of 7.7 steals per game. When the Portland Trail Blazers allow 7 or more steals, they are a winning 27-16.
