Golden State Warriors (28-26) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (26-28)
The NBA betting action continues Wednesday, February 8, with the Golden State Warriors facing off against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference showdown at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
The Trail Blazers open as 3.5-point home favorites with a total of 234.0 points. Portland misses Jusuf Nurkic (calf) and Justise Winslow (ankle), while Golden State is without Stephen Curry (leg) and Andre Iguodala (hip).
The Warriors eye their third straight victory
In their first outing since Steph Curry’s leg injury, the Golden State Warriors improved to 28-26 SU and 25-28-1 ATS on the season. They dismantled the Oklahoma City Thunder 141-114 as 3-point home favorites, making 57.7% of their field goals (26-for-50 from downtown) and handing out a staggering 43 assists.
Klay Thompson dropped 42 points on OKC. He went 12-for-16 from downtown, while Jordan Poole, who replaced Curry in the starting lineup, made five of his ten attempts from beyond the arc. Poole finished with 21 points and 12 assists, and Andrew Wiggins added 18 points and four dishes.
“It was a beautiful game to watch him play,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said of Thompson. “We needed it. It’s been a while since we had a blowout win. It's good to get this one, especially the first game with Steph out. It was good to start off on this foot and try to create some momentum."
Career-high 12 assists
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 7, 2023
JP was droppin' DIMES ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/8dJEaqSxBz
The Warriors are sitting at the seventh spot in the Western Conference, just half a game behind the No. 6 seed. Golden State is scoring 114.6 points per 100 possessions (tied-12th in the league) on 38.4% shooting from beyond the 3-point line (5th). The Warriors are yielding 114.3 points in return (16th) on 54.1% shooting from inside the arc (13th) and 36.2% from downtown (tied-18th).
The Trail Blazers hope to snap their two-game skid
After a 129-121 defeat at the Chicago Bulls this past Saturday, the Portland Trail Blazers (26-28; 28-26 ATS) started a five-game homestand on Monday, suffering a heavy 127-108 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Blazers trailed the Bucks wire-to-wire and by as many as 26 points, going just 9-for-36 from beyond the arc and posting one offensive rebound (not a typo).
Damian Lillard scored 28 points against Milwaukee. He went 7-for-18 from the field and 12-for-12 from downtown while handing out five assists. Anfernee Simmons notched 21 points and five dishes, while Jerami Grant had 13 points, three boards, and a couple of blocks.
“They made some adjustments to their defense this year, to be honest with you," Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. "They used to give up like the most 3s in the league because of that drop coverage. Not this year. I've got to give them a ton of credit. (Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer) has done a really good job. They’re still a really dominant defense but they’re not giving up as many 3s, so you’ve got to work even harder to get those looks.”
DAME FROM DEEEEEEEEEEEEP #RipCity pic.twitter.com/SQElauwSLU
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 7, 2023
The Trail Blazers own the fifth-highest offensive rating in the NBA, tallying 116.6 points per 100 possessions. They make 12.9 triples per game (8th in the league) on a 37.4 percentage clip (7th). On the other side of the ball, the Blazers allow 116.4 points per 100 possessions (27th) on 36.5% shooting from downtown (tied-20th). Portland holds the No. 11 seed in the West, trailing the tenth-seeded Utah Jazz by half a game.
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
I don’t know what to think about this Portland team. On paper, their offense is doing a good job, but it’s mostly Damian Lillard on his own, averaging 35.7 points through his last ten appearances. Portland’s defense has been pretty much awful all season, so I’m going with the Warriors to cover. Klay Thompson is coming off a wonderful performance, and Jordan Poole looks ready to drive the Warriors’ offense in Stephen Curry’s absence.
Golden State is arguably a better defensive team than Portland. The Trail Blazers have allowed 123 or more points in six of their last eight contests overall. Portland is 2-5 ATS in its last seven outings at home and 2-4 ATS in its last six encounters with Golden State. The Blazers meet the Warriors for the second time this season, and Golden State beat Portland 118-112 in California on December 30.
Fan Dual is offering a crazy $3k "no sweat" first bet to new customers. If you're not already signed up, take advantage of this offer!!! Use it to build your bankroll with minimal risk. Deposit as much as you can responsibly, and play it on something safe that you have tons of confidence on. BOOM! Cash that and virtually double your bankroll, setting you up for a great year! 21+ only, see offer for additional T&C. OH Residents - 21+ | Problem Gambling? 1800Gambler CLICK HERE to get started!
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
I’m not going to overthink the totals. The Warriors play at the fastest pace in the league, recording 102.4 possessions per 48 minutes, and the reigning NBA champs will look to push the ball in transition whenever they can. On the other side, the Trail Blazers tally 97.8 possessions per 48 minutes (tied-23rd in the NBA), but I don’t think they’ll look to slow things down in this matchup.
I’ve mentioned how bad Portland’s defense has been lately. The over is 5-3 in the Blazers’ last eight games overall. On the other side, the over is 5-1 in the Warriors’ last six contests overall and 15-2 in their previous 17 outings on the road.
