The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to the Amway Center to take on the Orlando Magic. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 20 and can be seen on CSN-NW and FSN-FL.
The Magic are are hoping for a better outcome after their 107-102 loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday. Elfrid Payton earned his eighth double-double of the year. He had a good game in defeat for Orlando, registering 15 points and 12 assists. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 108-104 loss against the Heat on Wednesday. Portland still lost despite the best efforts of LaMarcus Aldridge, who recorded his 35th double-double of the season with 34 points and 12 rebounds.
Aldridge has been hot for the Trail Blazers, averaging 26.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers over the past five games.
The Magic might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the league’s best defenses. The Trail Blazers rank fourth in the NBA in defensive efficiency, while Orlando ranks 27th in offensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first matchup 103-92. Nikola Vucevic put up 34 points and 16 rebounds.
The odds for Orlando and Portland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Magic have gone 21-49 Straight Up (SU) and 36-33-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-18 SU and 15-11 ATS against the Western Conference.
Over on the other bench, the Trail Blazers have 44-22 SU and 34-31-1 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Portland is 20-8 SU and 14-14 ATS. The Trail Blazers convert their free throws at a high percentage, leading the league at .797. The Trail Blazers have controlled the glass with an average of 46.0 per game, second in the league. The Trail Blazers are a problem for teams on the defensive side, allowing only 407 field goals from three-point range to their opponents (6.2 per game).
The Trail Blazers’ win over Orlando in their last clash bumped their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. On the other hand, the Magic hold the advantage ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Over the last 10 matchups, Portland held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice. Orlando performed this feat once.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Orlando’s last 9 games.
Orlando is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Orlando is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
Orlando is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando’s last 5 games at home.
Orlando is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Portland.
Orlando is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Portland.
Portland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Orlando.
On average, Portland puts up 102.8 points per game (ranked ninth). Orlando ranks 25th in points allowed per game with 101.8.
Orlando ranks 25th in points allowed per home game (102.4 PPG), while Portland ranks seventh in points per away game with 103.0.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Trail Blazers are 34-7 on the season. When the Magic score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 6-41.
Portland is 10-15 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Magic have a solid 15-8 record when hitting triple digits.
The Magic have a defensive rating of 105.4 (ranked 26th), while the Trail Blazers rank eighth for their offensive rating of 105.1.
Portland has an average field goal percentage of 44.7%. Orlando is a subpar 7-36 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Orlando attempts 19.6 three pointers and Portland attempts 27.7 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Magic are 4-6 while the Trail Blazers have a winning 31-19 record.
Orlando has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.43 this season (ranked 25th). Portland ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.65 (ranked 12th).
Portland ranks second among all teams in rebounding, placing the team near the top of the league (46.0 per game). Orlando, however, ranks 27th with 41.2 rebounds per game.
The Portland Trail Blazers rank 16th in offensive rebounding, while the Orlando Magic rank 23rd in defensive rebounding.
Portland has forced an average turnover percentage of 12.1% this season. Orlando has an abysmal 12-40 record when its TOV% is 12.1% or higher.
