NBA Odds: Trail Blazers (-5)
The Northwest’s top team will be on the road when the Portland Trail Blazers (36-17) head to EnergySolutions Arena to challenge the division rival Utah Jazz (19-34). Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 20 and can be seen on CSN-NW and ROOT-NW.
The Jazz are hoping for a better outcome after their 87-82 loss to the Mavericks in their last matchup. Trey Burke was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a 102-86 win against the Lakers in their last game. Wesley Matthews led the game in scoring by registering 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Trail Blazers winning the first matchup 103-102. Gordon Hayward was the top overall scorer in the game with 27 points.
Portland takes on Utah as a five-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable as of now. The Jazz come into this game 19-34 Straight Up (SU) and 28-24-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 3-4 SU and 5-2 ATS against divisional opponents.
In the other locker room, the Trail Blazers have 36-17 SU and 27-25-1 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Portland has a 7-1 SU and a 4-3-1 ATS record. The Trail Blazers convert their free throws at a high percentage, leading the league at .795. The Trail Blazers are a problem for teams on the defensive side, allowing only .431 shooting from the field to their opponents.
The Trail Blazers’ win over Utah in their last clash bumped their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. Furthermore, the Trail Blazers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Portland held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, Utah never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
Utah puts up an average of 95.7 points per game (ranked 24th), while Portland allows 97.3 points per game (ranked eighth).
On average, Utah scores 97.6 points per home game (ranked 22nd), while Portland gives up 102.0 points per away game (ranked 20th).
Utah has a 16-12 record when allowing fewer than 100 points. Portland has an 8-12 record when failing to hit the century mark.
The Utah Jazz have an abysmal 3-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Portland Trail Blazers are 28-5 when they hit triple digits.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 99.2, second-best in the NBA. The Jazz also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 103.2 (ranked 14th).
Portland beats Utah in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Trail Blazers average 98.1 possessions and 1.047 points per possession, while the Jazz average 92.8 possessions with 1.032 points per possession.
Portland has an average effective field goal percentage of 50.3%. Utah is an underachieving 3-27 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Portland Trail Blazers make 22.3 assists per game and the Utah Jazz make 20.3. Portland is ranked ninth, while Utah is ranked 28th.
The Utah Jazz average 5.8 blocks per game for a rank of sixth. The Portland Trail Blazers rank lower (ninth), earning 5.0 blocks each game.
The Jazz rank ninth in offensive rebounds, and the Trail Blazers rank first in the league in defensive rebounds.
On average, Utah makes 7.0 steals per game. Portland has a solid 23-13 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
