The Phoenix Suns head to the Moda Center to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. The game gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 30 and will air on NBATV, FSN-AZ and CSN-NW.
The Trail Blazers were victorious over the Nuggets 120-114 on Saturday. LaMarcus Aldridge fueled the Trail Blazers, recording 32 points and 11 rebounds to notch his 37th double-double this season.
The Trail Blazers have won two out of three against the Suns this season, including an 87-81 victory in their last matchup. Aldridge was the game’s leading scorer with 27 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 47-25 Straight Up (SU) and 36-35-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 27-16 SU and 22-20-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Portland has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a league-high .797. An area where the Trail Blazers are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average an NBA-best 35.1 defensive rebounds per game.
On the other side, the Suns head into the game with records of 37-33-3 ATS and 38-35 SU. Phoenix has a record of 20-24 SU and 18-23-3 ATS against the West. During the last 10 games, they averaged 92.3 PPG, below their 103.8 PPG season average. The last 10 games have really brought the best of the Suns on the defensive end. They’ve allowed 93.0 points per game during that span, which is lower than their season average of 103.4.
Following the Trail Blazers’ latest win over Phoenix, Portland is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 4-6 SU. Additionally, the Suns lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Portland and Phoenix each held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice in their last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
Portland has allowed an average of 98.1 points per game this season. Phoenix averages 103.8 points per game, ranking the team fifth in scoring.
Phoenix averages 104.5 points per away game (ranked fifth). However, Portland has allowed an average of just 95.1 points per home game (ranked third).
Phoenix has a winning 20-7 record when it allows under 100 points this season. Portland is 12-16 when it puts up under 100.
The Phoenix Suns have a poor 18-28 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Portland Trail Blazers are 35-9 when they hit the century mark.
The Suns have an offensive rating of 103.4 (ranked 13th), while the Trail Blazers rank seventh for their defensive rating of 100.5.
Portland has an average field goal percentage of 44.8%. Phoenix is 17-23 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Portland is 17th and eighth in the league for FG% and EFF% respectively, while Phoenix is 13th and eighth in these categories.
Portland makes an average of 21.9 assists per game (ranked 12th), while Phoenix makes 20.3 assists per game (ranked 27th).
Portland makes an average of 4.6 blocks per game (ranked 15th). Phoenix ranks higher in blocks with 4.8 (ranked 11th).
Portland is ranked 16th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Phoenix ranks 13th in defensive rebounds.
Making 8.7 steals per game, Phoenix is ranked seventh in the NBA. Portland has a solid 25-16 record when it gives up at least 8 steals.
