The Los Angeles Clippers (22-13) will attempt to keep their six-game winning streak alive when they meet the Portland Trail Blazers (15-22) at the Moda Center. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and can be seen on PRI and POR.
The Trail Blazers are expecting a better outcome after their 91-78 loss to the Grizzlies on Monday. Despite the loss, Al-Farouq Aminu earned his sixth double-double this season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a 130-99 win against the 76ers on Saturday. DeAndre Jordan claimed his 20th double-double of the season with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
C.J. McCollum has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Trail Blazers. During that stretch, he has averaged 27.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers. Jordan has been hot for the Clippers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 15.0 points, 14.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.0 blocks.
Los Angeles will look to keep miscues at a minimum in this matchup. They’re ranked fifth in the NBA at avoiding mistakes (turnover percentage of 13.4%). Conversely, Portland forces the third-fewest errors in the league, with just 12.0% of opponents’ possessions resulting in a turnover.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Clippers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 102-87 win. Jordan put up 18 points and 24 rebounds.
The Clippers take on the Trail Blazers as a three-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 206 points. The Trail Blazers come into this game 15-22 Straight Up (SU) and 19-18 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 13-13 SU and 15-11 ATS against the Western Conference. The rebounding edge goes to the Trail Blazers in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 45.8 boards per game.
In the other locker room, the Clippers have a record of 15-18-2 ATS and 22-13 SU. Los Angeles performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-3 record. Offensively, they average 103.7 points per game, which is good for fifth in the league. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking fifth in the NBA at 1.76.
Los Angeles beat Portland in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. On the other hand, the Trail Blazers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – LAC, O/U – Under
Notes
Portland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Portland’s last 9 games.
Portland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland’s last 5 games when playing LA Clippers.
Portland is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Clippers.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland’s last 6 games when playing at home against LA Clippers.
Portland is 10-4 SU in their last 14 games when playing at home against LA Clippers.
On average, Los Angeles scores 103.7 points per game (ranked fifth). Portland ranks 19th in points allowed per game with 102.0.
Portland ranks 19th in points allowed per home game (100.9 PPG), while Los Angeles ranks fourth in points per away game with 104.1.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Portland Trail Blazers are a solid 9-4. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Los Angeles Clippers have a losing record of 3-7.
The Portland Trail Blazers have a subpar 6-18 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Los Angeles Clippers are 19-6 when they hit triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have an offensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 12th). The Clippers rank 11th for their defensive rating of 102.1.
Los Angeles beats Portland in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Clippers average 98.1 possessions and 1.057 points per possession, while the Trail Blazers average 97.5 possessions with 1.034 points per possession.
The Los Angeles Clippers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 51.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Portland Trail Blazers have an abysmal 1-10 record.
On average, the Los Angeles Clippers make 23.1 assists per game and the Portland Trail Blazers make 20.6. Los Angeles is ranked eighth, while Portland is ranked 21st.
Portland makes an average of 3.9 blocks per game (ranked 25th). Los Angeles ranks higher in blocks with 5.3 (ranked 10th).
Portland is ranked fourth in offensive rebounding. Los Angeles ranks 19th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Portland makes 6.3 steals per game. Los Angeles has a winning 19-12 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
