The Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to the Moda Center. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 1 and can be seen on NBA TV, FSN-PT and KGW.
The Trail Blazers played well in their last game, dismantling the Suns 109-86 on Monday. Damian Lillard was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points on 7-for-14 shooting. The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off a 119-106 win against the Celtics on Sunday. Chris Paul claimed his 37th double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 assists.
J.J. Redick and Paul have upped their production over the last five games for the Clippers. Redick has averaged 21.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 3.4 three-pointers during that stretch, while Paul has put up 22.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers.
In terms of effective field goal percentage, this game will match strength against strength when the Clippers have possession. Their sharp-shooting offense is ranked second in the league in that metric at 53.3%, while Portland is second-best in the NBA in effective field goal percentage defense (47.4%).
The Clippers lead the season series against the Trail Blazers two games to one, but fell short in their most recent game, 98-93. Paul had a double-double in the loss with 36 points and 12 assists.
The odds for Portland and Los Angeles are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Trail Blazers have gone 48-25 Straight Up (SU) and 37-35-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 28-16 SU and 23-20-1 ATS against the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers lead the NBA in free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .798 from the free throw line. The rebounding edge goes to the Trail Blazers in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 45.9 boards per game.
In the other locker room, the Clippers have 49-25 SU and 34-40 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Los Angeles is 30-14 SU and 20-24 ATS. The Clippers are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, leading the NBA at 2.07.
In their previous meeting this season, Portland beat Los Angeles, but the win was not enough for them to overtake Los Angeles in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. The Trail Blazers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4-1. Portland held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time, while Los Angeles was never able to do so in their most recent 10 games.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAC, ATS Winner – LAC
Notes
The Los Angeles Clippers are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 106.5 points per game (ranked second), while the Portland Trail Blazers are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 98.0 (ranked 10th).
Portland has allowed an average of 94.8 points per home game this season. Los Angeles averages 106.9 points per away game, placing the team at the top of the NBA in scoring.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Portland Trail Blazers are a dazzling 37-8. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Los Angeles Clippers have a subpar record of 7-14.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Trail Blazers are just 11-17 this season. Los Angeles is a fantastic 42-11 when it reaches the century mark.
The Clippers have a defensive rating of 102.7 (ranked 16th). The Trail Blazers rank eighth for their offensive rating of 105.2.
The Portland Trail Blazers average 97.6 possessions per game and 1.052 points per possession, while the Los Angeles Clippers earn fewer possessions (97.6) but more points per possession (1.092).
Los Angeles has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.3% (ranked second in the league}. Portland is a subpar 2-10 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Portland attempts 27.4 three pointers and Los Angeles attempts 26.8 per game. Both teams have winning records when they have 25 or more three point attempts. The Trail Blazers sit at 34-20 and the Clippers are 32-16.
Los Angeles ranks at the top of the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.07. Portland ranks 16th with an A/TO of 1.63.
Portland ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second (45.9 per game), while Los Angeles ranks 20th with 42.5 per game.
The Portland Trail Blazers are the NBA’s best defensive rebounding team. The Los Angeles Clippers rank 28th in offensive rebounding.
The Trail Blazers’ opponents have an average turnover percentage of 12.1% this season. The Los Angeles Clippers are 22-17 SU when their TOV% is 12.1% or higher.
