The Portland Trail Blazers (41-26) put their 10-game winning streak on the line when they square off with the Cleveland Cavaliers (39-28) at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The game starts at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 15, 2018, and will air on Fox Sports – Ohio.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 222 points with Portland opening as a 4.5-point favorite.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Portland Trail Blazers ATS Prediction
In the Cavaliers’ last matchup, they blew out the Phoenix Suns, 129-107. Cleveland launched 35 three pointers, making 17 of them (48.6 percent). Phoenix, meanwhile, was just 6-32 (18.8 percent). Cleveland rallied around LeBron James, who racked up 28 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. This gave him his 13th triple-double this year.
The Trail Blazers defeated the Miami Heat in their last matchup, 115-99. The Trail Blazers made 25 of their 30 free throws (83.3 percent) and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.542 (above their season average of 0.512). With 27 points and 16 rebounds, Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic had a good game.
Cleveland could have a difficult time creating turnovers. Portland ranks eighth in the league at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 13.4 percent), while Cleveland forces the fourth-fewest turnovers (13.0 percent). Moreover, the Cavaliers rank third in effective field goal percentage (0.546), while the Trail Blazers rank fifth in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.502).
Cleveland holds records of 39-28 straight up (SU) and 22-44-1 against the spread (ATS). A little over half of the Cavaliers’ games have finished over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Portland is 41-26 SU and 36-25-6 ATS. Vegas is known to place the total high when the Trail Blazers are involved, as 38 of their 67 games have ended under the total.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, James put up 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Trail Blazers 127-110, covering as 8.5-point favorites. The game finished with a total of 237 points, which was 21.5 points above the projected point total of 215.5 points. The Cavaliers made 28 of their 37 free throws (75.7 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (9.2 vs. 13.2).
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Pick
Free NBA Tip: SU Winner – Trail Blazers, ATS Winner – Cavaliers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Cleveland is 15-19 ATS with 18 overs and 16 unders.
Portland is 18-13-3 ATS at home with 18 unders and 16 overs.
When allowing less than 100 points, Cleveland is 14-2 and Portland is 22-5.
The Trail Blazers are 36-13 when they score over 100 points, while the Cavaliers are 38-16.
Portland ranks second in assists allowed per game (20.2) while Cleveland ranks 29th (25.7).
The Trail Blazers rank fifth in three pointers allowed per game (26.6) while the Cavaliers rank 29th (31.8).
Cleveland ranks third in blocks allowed per game (4.1) while Portland ranks 23rd (5.2).
The Trail Blazers average 45.3 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the league. The Cavaliers rank 23rd in rebounds allowed per game (44.4).
Portland ranks fourth in points allowed in the paint per game (42.0) while Cleveland ranks 22nd (46.9).
The Cavaliers rank 13th in fast break points per game (12.6) while the Trail Blazers rank last (7.7).
Cleveland ranks 16th in points off turnovers per game (16.4) while Portland ranks 29th (14.4).
The Trail Blazers average 13.1 second chance points per game, which ranks ninth in the NBA. The Cavaliers rank 18th in second chance points allowed per game (12.8).
Cleveland ranks 24th in steals per game (7.2) while Portland ranks 28th (6.9).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Cleveland is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Portland is 5-0 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Cavaliers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.2, up from 0.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Trail Blazers have scored an average of 113.4 points per game (7.6 above their season average) and allowed an average of 99.4 points per game (3.7 below their season average).
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