The San Antonio Spurs (57-10) look to extend their 33-game home winning streak when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers (35-33), who have dropped five in a row on the road. Action gets underway at 8:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 17 and can be seen on POR and NBA.
The Spurs dismantled the Clippers 108-87 on Tuesday. Kawhi Leonard led all scorers on the team with 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 128-94 loss at the hands of the Thunder on Monday. Damian Lillard had a team-high 21 points.
LaMarcus Aldridge has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Spurs. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks.
The Spurs have emerged victorious in both games against the Trail Blazers this year, including a 93-80 victory in their last matchup. Lillard scored a game-high 27 points.
The Spurs come into this game 57-10 Straight Up (SU) and 40-27 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 57-10 SU and 40-27 ATS against the Western Conference. The Spurs are a dangerously accurate shooting team with a .488 field-goal percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. The Spurs, sporting the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA (1.98), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team. The Spurs have really locked down opponents, ranking first in the league with a .432 opponent field-goal percentage.
On the other side, the Trail Blazers have 35-33 SU and 38-30 ATS records. Portland has records of 35-33 SU and 38-30 ATS against the West.
The Spurs’ win over Portland in their last game brought their SU record to 6-4 over the Trail Blazers in the last 10 games. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Spurs have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
Both Portland and San Antonio rank zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Portland puts up 0.0 points per game, while San Antonio gives up 0.0.
Portland and San Antonio are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Portland scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while San Antonio allows 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the San Antonio Spurs are a stellar 48-4. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Portland Trail Blazers have an abysmal record of 4-18.
When the San Antonio Spurs allow at least 100 points they are 9-6, while the Portland Trail Blazers are 31-15 when they register triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 105.8 (ranked 20th). The Spurs rank third for their offensive rating of 109.6.
San Antonio averages fewer possessions per game than Portland, with 95.5 compared to 98.0. However, the Spurs score an average of 1.096 points per possession, more than the 1.062 that the Trail Blazers score.
Portland has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.1%, ranked eighth in the league. San Antonio is a solid 11-6 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
San Antonio averages 18.0 three point attempts per game, and Portland attempts 28.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Spurs have a losing 1-2 record while the Trail Blazers have a 27-24 record.
The San Antonio Spurs top the league in assist to turnover ratio this season with an A/TO of 1.98. The Portland Trail Blazers have an A/TO of 1.51 (ranked 22nd).
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 45.5 rebounds per game (ranked fifth). The San Antonio Spurs rank 10th, rebounding 44.4 times each contest.
The Spurs and the Trail Blazers are well matched when it comes to rebounding. San Antonio is ranked fourth in defensive rebounding, and Portland is also ranked fourth in offensive rebounding.
San Antonio is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.0% (ranked ninth). Portland has a 12-14 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.0% or greater.
