The Portland Trail Blazers (11-20) welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers (19-8), the Eastern Conference’s best team, to the Moda Center. The game starts at 10:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 26 and will air on FxO and POR.
The Trail Blazers got blown out by the Pelicans 115-89 on Wednesday. C.J. McCollum finished with 19 points to lead the team. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off an 89-83 loss at the hands of the Warriors on Friday. LeBron James had a game-high 25 points.
The battle on the backboards could prove decisive, pitting strength against strength. Portland is among the league’s elite on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in offensive rebound percentage at 26.6%. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers rank third in the NBA at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebound percentage of 79.3%. Moreover, the fourth-ranked offense of the Cavaliers (offensive efficiency of 104.7) will try to exploit the 28th-ranked defense of the Trail Blazers (defensive efficiency of 106.2).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Cavaliers won the first game 105-100. James played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 33 points and 10 rebounds.
The Trail Blazers look to improve upon their records of 11-20 Straight Up (SU) and 15-16 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 1-9 SU and 3-7 ATS versus the Eastern Conference.
Across the court, the Cavaliers head into the game with records of 12-15 ATS and 19-8 SU. In Western Conference games, Cleveland has gone 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS. The Cavaliers are one of the top defensive teams in the league, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 94.9 points allowed per game. The Cavaliers are in for a physical game against Portland. The Trail Blazers are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.8 fouls per game.
The Cavaliers’ win over Portland in their last clash couldn’t give them the edge in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, where the Trail Blazers still lead 7-3 SU. Additionally, with a 6-3-1 record, the Trail Blazers have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
Portland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Portland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland’s last 6 games when playing Cleveland.
Portland is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Cleveland.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Portland’s last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Portland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Portland.
Portland scores an average of 101.0 points per game (ranked 17th), while Cleveland gives up 94.9 points per game (ranked third).
Portland and Cleveland are well matched, ranking third in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Portland puts up an average of 105.8 points per home game, while Cleveland allows 93.6 points per away game on average.
In its last game, Portland lost by a 26-point margin. Cleveland is 3-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Portland has a 2-2 record in blowouts.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 12-4 in games where they allow fewer than 100 points, while the Portland Trail Blazers are winless (0-11) when scoring less than 100.
Cleveland has a solid 7-4 record when it allows 100 or more points this season. Portland is 11-9 when it hits triple digits.
Ranked fourth, the Cavaliers have an offensive rating of 104.7. The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, rank 28th with a defensive rating of 106.2.
The Portland Trail Blazers average a field goal percentage of 44.3% this season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a winning 7-4 record in games where opponents have a FG% of 44.3% or greater.
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Cleveland Cavaliers both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Portland is 17th and 11th in the league for FG% and EFF% respectively, while Cleveland is 12th and fifth in these categories.
Portland makes an average of 20.6 assists per game (ranked 22nd). Cleveland ranks higher in assists with 22.6 (ranked 10th).
The Portland Trail Blazers average 4.0 blocks per game for a rank of 24th. The Cleveland Cavaliers rank lower (27th), earning 3.9 blocks each game.
The Portland Trail Blazers are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked third). The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the top defensive rebounding teams (ranked seventh).
On average, Portland makes 6.2 steals per game. Cleveland has a solid 15-7 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
