The Golden State Warriors visit the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers in Game of the Western Conference Semifinals. The game begins at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, May 7 and will air on ABC and C+D.
The Trail Blazers lost to the Warriors 110-99 on Tuesday. Damian Lillard was the team’s leading scorer with 25 points.
Based on historical performance heading into this one, ball security could play a key role in the matchup. Portland commits the fifth-fewest miscues in the NBA (turnover percentage of 14.2%), while Golden State’s gambling defense causes the third-most (opponents’ turnover percentage of 13.8%).
The Trail Blazers are hoping to build on their records of 48-42 Straight Up (SU) and 47-43 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. The Trail Blazers have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire league, averaging 107.5 points per game. Portland’s defense is doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games. It is allowing an average of 95.0 points per game, well under their season average of 104.1.
As for their opponent, the Warriors have a record of 49-37-3 ATS and 79-10 SU. Golden State has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. The Warriors are the number one overall scoring offense, averaging 114.6 points per game so far. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Warriors. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.96. Golden State’s defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents shooting only .432 from the field. Golden State makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fifth in points off turnovers with an average of 17.4 per game.
Golden State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 8-2. The Warriors also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 9-1.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
Golden State ranks first in points allowed per road game (105.9 PPG), while Portland ranks fourth in points per home game with 107.5.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Trail Blazers are 25-5 on the season. When the Warriors score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 2-6.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Trail Blazers are just 23-37 this season. Golden State is a stellar 77-4 when it hits the century mark.
The Warriors have a defensive rating of 100.8, third-best in the NBA. The Trail Blazers also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 106.3 (ranked seventh).
Golden State beats Portland in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Warriors average 101.6 possessions and 1.128 points per possession, while the Trail Blazers average 98.4 possessions with 1.063 points per possession.
Golden State has an average effective field goal percentage of 56.1% (ranked first in the league}. Portland is a subpar 1-16 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Portland Trail Blazers average 28.0 three point attempts per game and are 39-29 when attempting at least 25 in a game. The Golden State Warriors average 31.0 attempts and have a tremendous record (71-9) when attempting 25 or more.
The Portland Trail Blazers average 4.6 blocks per game for a rank of 18th. The Golden State Warriors rank higher (third), earning 6.1 blocks each contest.
Ranked first, the Golden State Warriors are one of the top-ranked defensive rebounding teams. The Portland Trail Blazers are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked third).
The Golden State Warriors earn an average of 8.4 steals per game and are ranked ninth. The Portland Trail Blazers have a 24-20 record when they allow at least 8 steals.
