Portland Trail Blazers vs. Atlanta Hawks: Odds, Picks & Predictions
PICK OF THE DAY: (2u) Trail Blazers +1 @ -110
Portland Trail Blazers @ Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 PM:
- The Portland Trail Blazers have a 4-1 against the spread record in night games against the Atlanta Hawks since the 2017-18 NBA season. Stat courtesy of Statschecker.
The reason we’re backing the Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers enter this game against the Atlanta Hawks on a two-game losing streak.
CJ McCollum finished with a team-high 28 points, eight assists and three rebounds, and Hassan Whiteside added 18 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks for the Blazers in a 106-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night.
Back on Nov. 10, Damian Lillard had 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and McCollum added 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists for the Trail Blazers in a 124-113 overtime victory over the Hawks. Trae Young led Atlanta with 35 points, 10 assists, eight boards and three steals in the loss.
Look for a similar outcome in this matchup on Saturday night. The Blazers are more in the thick of things in the loaded Western Conference. They are fighting for a playoff spot, and I believe they will come away with this road win. Take the Blazers plus the one point in this game.
(1u) Lakers -6 @ -110
Los Angeles Lakers @ Memphis Grizzlies, 8:00 PM:
- Since the 2013-14 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 14-9-2 against the spread record against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The reason we’re backing the Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers are on a seven-game winning streak heading into tonight’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
One week ago, the Grizzlies and Lakers squared off at the Staples Center. LeBron James had 32 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two blocks, and Anthony Davis finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and seven blocks for Los Angeles in a 117-105 win.
Josh Jackson led Memphis with 20 points off the bench in the loss.
If the season were to end today, the top seed of the West would be the Lakers, and the eighth-seeded Grizzlies would square off in the first round of the playoffs, so there’s no doubt that the stakes are high in this one.
I just believe the Lakers are more equipped, and overall a better team. Los Angeles minus six feels like a steal here.
(1u) Celtics -1.5 @ -110
Houston Rockets @ Boston Celtics, 8:30 PM:
- The Boston Celtics have a 142-103-5 against the spread record since the 2017-18 NBA season.
The reason we’re backing the Celtics.
Boston enters this matchup with back-to-back wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz.
On Wednesday night, Jayson Tatum led the way with 33 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics in a 114-103 win over Utah.
The Rockets enter this game having won four straight games against Boston. Something must give here, right? I love the Celtics at home minus the 1.5 points.
Feel confident taking Boston here.