Philadelphia 76ers vs. Portland Trailblazers Pick
Philadelphia 76ers (23-13 SU, 17-19 ATS) vs. Portland Trailblazers (20-16 SU, 17-19 ATS)
When: Sunday, December 30th, 2018 – 9:00 PM ET
Where: Moda Center – Portland, OR
TV: FSN
By: Keith Franks, NBA Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: PHI -1.5 / POR +1.5
Total: 221.5
Power Rankings: Portland +5
Takeaways From Philadelphia and Portland’s Most Recent Games
The 76ers looked to have overcome their woes on the road after dominating the Utah Jazz on their own court on Thursday night. As a 4.5-point underdog, the Sixers defeated the Notes by a score of 114-97. The difference maker was shooting as the 76ers hit 50% of their field goals and 10 more attempts on the same volume of shots (86) compared to their counterparts.
College Basketball Play of the Day: UMass vs Georgia
The Trailblazers come in off two consecutive contests with Golden State. The most recent episode saw the Warriors win last night in the Moda Center to avenge a bitter overtime defeat that Rip City pulled off on Thursday night. On Thursday, the Blazers defeated the W’s by a point in overtime as an 8.5-point underdog. Last night, the Blazers closed as a five-point underdog and failed to cover while doing so as they were defeated 115-105 in Rip City.
How the Public is Betting the Philadelphia-Portland Game
Currently, 62% of the betting public like Philadelphia here as the road favorite. In spite of this, we have yet to see the line budge as a result.
The Historicals
This has been a well-balanced series as a whole as each team has won three of the previous six meetings. Most recently, Rip City hosted the City of Brotherly Love in December of 2017 where the Blazers would defeat the 76ers 114-110.
Injury Concerns
Heading into this cross-conference collision both teams enter in relatively good health with minimal injury concerns to key personnel.
Philadelphia Likes To Light Up The Scoreboard To Stack Another W
Philadelphia is a team that generally likes to outscore opponents. This is indicative of the fact that the 76ers average 114.5 points per game (6th in the NBA) whilst giving up 111.6 points per game (22nd in the league). They will need to hone this approach as it has been their calling card in hostile environments. In their last regulation loss, the Sixers failed to break the 100-point threshold and were walloped. When the Sixers score their average points they are 4-0-3 in away games.
The Trailblazers Will Look To Notch Another Marquee Win With Home Cooking
The Trailblazers have a long tradition of being a tough team to beat in Portland. On the year they stand at 13-6 SU. They will look to hone their home court advantage to get a win against a Philadelphia team that has only recently started to get its act together away from its own stead. Portland could blaze its own trail to victory by playing the turnover margins to their favor honing an edge they could utilize to get the points it needs to keep the momentum and engage their home crowd. Both these teams like to work the glass and create second chances as they both stand in the top-five (Philly is fourth with 47.7 boards per game). Portland in particular is a top-three outfit that curates 48 rebounds per game (3rd in the NBA) and will look to win the game using this approach in the paint.
Betting Trends
The most prominent trend in this series is the fact that the Home Team has won the last seven outings between these two parties. Given the play of these two franchises on the road normally compared to how strong they are on their own hardwood this is a significant trend worth taking into consideration. Moreover, Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings between both sides.
Keith’s Pick to Cover the Spread: Philadelphia -1.5
The Sixers bode tremendous equity as they are underpriced here in this spot. This warrants a closer look at Philadelphia and looking at your sportsbook for line value. When the narrative of the home team presently riding a seven-game winning streak are tossed into the broth, Philadelphia could be short-sold very likely for this reason as the away team. The bottom line is Philly is rolling into this contest off what has to be classed as a momentous performance and we like them here with their mojo working against a potentially beleaguered Blazers who enter on less rest having played the two-time defending champions in back-to-back games. The Sixers have a recipe to beat Portland on the boards as Philly beat the Jazz on the glass (47-44) though Utah is also known as a stalwart in the defensive rebounding department (2nd overall with 42.4 boards per game). The Sixers also had their way in terms of scoring with a Utah team known for their defensive acumen that consistently hover in the top-ten in the scoring discipline (presently 5th with 105.6 points per game). The fresher 76ers are primed to run up and down the floor and cruise to another victory and cover easily as they do so.