Clippers vs. Trail Blazers Odds & Pick (Saturday, August 8): Bet Portland to Stay Blazing-Hot

Clippers vs. Trail Blazers Odds & Pick (Saturday, August 8): Bet Portland to Stay Blazing-Hot article feature image
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Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Damien Lillard.

  • Joe Dellera breaks down betting odds and offers his predictions and picks for Saturday's NBA matchup between the Clippers and Trail Blazers.
  • Portland has been hot throughout bubble play, coming off big wins over Denver and Houston, and spear-headed by superstar Damian Lillard.
  • Read on to find out why Joe Dellera is backing Portland to overcome yet another major obstacle in the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday afternoon.

Clippers vs. Trail Blazers Betting Odds

Clippers odds-4 [BET NOW]
Trail Blazers odds+4 [BET NOW]
Moneyline-165/+138 [BET NOW]
Over/Under234 [BET NOW]
Time1 p.m. ET
TVTNT

Odds as of Friday evening and via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.


This is going to be must-see TV on Saturday. Can the Clippers handle the upstart Blazers? Or will the Blazers continue their run through the Western Conference?

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers enter the front end of a back-to-back without Patrick Beverly (calf) and Montrezl Harrell (personal). This game is important for them to lock up the second seed, but the Clippers likely do not care who they play in the first round.

The Clippers have the third-best Net Rating in the bubble, per NBA.com. They take good shots, they protect the basketball, and they defend well. If you had to point out one aspect of their game where they are lacking, it's their offensive rebounding (19.9%/19th, per Cleaning the Glass).

Even without Harrell and Beverly, the Clippers don't miss a beat. In lineups without those two players, the Clippers have a +8.6 Net Rating and score 115.6 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers are piping hot. They are coming off commanding wins against the Nuggets and Rockets and they are 3-0-1 ATS in the bubble.

The Blazers will likely be without Hassan Whiteside (doubtful – hip), but given the match-up and their depth in the front court, I don't think this will be a huge issue.

The Clippers will need to contain the spectacular Damian Lillard, who is averaging 31.25 ppg and 11.25 assists in the bubble. I'm curious to see if the Clippers will trap Lillard and pressure him with either Kawhi Leonard or Paul George while bringing a second defender for the double team or if they will attempt to cover him with just one of Leonard and George. Lillard has had a difficult time working through double teams out of pick and rolls, so it's critical that Gary Trent, Jr. and C.J. McCollum shoot well from the floor.

Betting Analysis & Pick

Both the Clippers and the Blazers are shooting the ball well, they both have top-four in eFG% and they both have top-five offensive ratings in the bubble, per Cleaning the Glass and NBA.com. Both of these teams play slowly though, as both are near the bottom in the bubble in terms of pace. I expect this game to be played in the half-court as both teams will work for the best looks.

I can see this game going under, as both teams are due for some regression based on their location eFG% but considering how hot these teams are, and how they look, that's not the pick I'm willing to take.

At the time of this writing, per Betlabs, there has been one steam move on the Blazers at +4.5. This makes sense as the line opened at 5.5 and is trending towards the Blazers. I think Portland can win this outright, and I will probably sprinkle the moneyline, but let's take the points and bring this game over one possession.

Pick: Blazers +4 (down to +3)

[Bet now at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.]

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Sean Treppedi
Mar 28, 2024 UTC