The Golden State Warriors (56-13) travel to Portland (44-24) to take on the Trail Blazers in a matchup that pits the third-ranked offense against the top-ranked defense. The game starts at 10:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 24 and will air on TNT and CSN-BA.
The Trail Blazers were beaten by the Grizzlies 97-86 on Saturday. Damian Lillard was the game’s high scorer, finishing with 27. The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a 106-91 win over the Jazz on Saturday. Stephen Curry shot 8-for-18 and led in scoring with 24 points.
LaMarcus Aldridge has really been playing well as of late for the Trail Blazers, averaging 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers over the last five games.
Points could be at a premium in this matchup between two of the league’s elite defenses. The Trail Blazers rank fifth in the NBA in defensive efficiency (100.2), while the Warriors are first (98.1). Also, the Warriors’s third-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 108.3) will face off against the fifth-ranked defense of the Trail Blazers (defensive efficiency of 100.2).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Warriors won the first game 95-90. Klay Thompson was the game’s leading scorer with 29 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Trail Blazers enter the game with records of 44-24 Straight Up (SU) and 34-33-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 24-15 SU and 20-18-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Portland has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a league-high .800. An area where the Trail Blazers are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average an NBA-best 35.2 defensive rebounds per game.
On the other side, the Warriors head into the game with records of 40-28-1 ATS and 56-13 SU. Golden State has a record of 33-8 SU and 27-14 ATS against the West. The Warriors rarely make the wrong play with the ball. They have the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.9. Switching gears to Golden State’s defense, teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Warriors, who are the top team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .425. They average 9.5 steals per game, good for second in the league. Golden State makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking second in points off turnovers with an average of 19.9 per game.
Golden State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. Additionally, with a 6-4 record, the Warriors have the advantage ATS. Portland and Golden State each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice in their last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS, ATS Winner – GS
Notes
Portland has allowed an average of 97.9 points per game this season. Golden State averages 109.7 points per game, placing the team at the top of the NBA in scoring.
Portland allows 93.7 points at home this season. Topping the league in road scoring, Golden State puts up 106.1 points in away games.
The Golden State Warriors sit undefeated (37-0) in games in which their opponent scores fewer than 100 points. Conversely, the Portland Trail Blazers have a poor 10-16 record when they don’t put up at least 100 points.
Golden State is 19-13 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Trail Blazers have an outstanding 34-8 record when hitting triple digits.
The Warriors have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.3). The Trail Blazers are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 100.2 (ranked fifth).
Ranked first in the NBA, Golden State has an average field goal percentage of 47.8%. Portland is 7-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Portland Trail Blazers rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (ninth) than they do for their field goal percentage (18th). The Golden State Warriors rank first for both their FG% and EFF%.
Portland has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.63 this season (ranked 16th). Golden State ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.92 (ranked second).
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 45.9 rebounds per game (ranked second). The Golden State Warriors rank eighth, rebounding 44.3 times each game.
The Portland Trail Blazers are the NBA’s best defensive rebounding team. The Golden State Warriors rank 24th in offensive rebounding.
Golden State averages a forced turnover rate of 15.7% this season, ranked fifth in the league. Portland has a 10-12 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
