The Portland Trail Blazers (1-1) and Los Angeles Clippers (1-1) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 9:00 p.m. EDT from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. The game will broadcast live on KUNP.
The Clippers are -8 favorites over the Blazers on the spread (Clippers -8), with the over/under set at 225 total points. Los Angeles is a -340 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Portland is +265 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Trail Blazers vs. Clippers predictions and NBA picks for Sunday, October 26.
My Trail Blazers vs Clippers Prediction
- Trail Blazers vs Clippers pick: Clippers -8 (-110)
My Trail Blazers vs Clippers best bet is on the Clippers to cover the spread, with the best price currently available at bet365. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Trail Blazers vs Clippers Odds
| Trail Blazers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -110 | 225 -110o / -110u | +265 |
| Clippers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -110 | 225 -110o / -110u | -340 |
Trail Blazers vs Clippers NBA Preview
In their season opener, the Trail Blazers let a second-half lead slip away against the Timberwolves. The next morning, they received a shock when the FBI arrested their head coach, Chauncey Billups, for illegal gambling. Still, they handled the adversity of playing without their head coach and even cruised to a 139-119 victory over the Warriors on Friday night.
Forward Deni Avdija led the way with 26 points, five rebounds, and six assists. He has scored 20 points in each of his first two games. Long one of the league's most underrated, Avdija is an early candidate to win Most Improved Player with +1400 odds today.
Last season, it was a struggle for Portland to score at times, ranking 22nd in offensive rating. Though the sample size is small, the Trail Blazers are averaging 126.5 points per game this season.
Improved ball movement has helped, as they have 55 assists in their first two games. Jrue Holiday has tallied 18 assists in two games and is playing in his hometown tonight.
Meanwhile, for the Clippers, it has been a tale of two blowouts to begin the season, losing by 21 in Utah on Wednesday night and defeating the Suns by 27 on Friday. They put together a much better defensive effort Friday night, holding the Suns to 41% shooting and forcing 18 turnovers.
James Harden had his way with 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 8-for-12 from the field, while Kawhi Leonard added 27 points, five rebounds, and five assists himself. Harden did still commit four turnovers, and he will see pressure from Holiday and/or Toumani Camara.
Bradley Beal had a quiet game against his former team and has scored 11 points in his first two games as a Clipper. Unfortunately, he is questionable for tonight's game with a back injury.
Meanwhile, John Collins has seen a significant role, averaging 26 minutes, 12 points and 6.5 rebounds in his first two games with the team. He will be one to watch for Sixth Man of the Year with +1400 odds entering tonight's game.
Trail Blazers vs Clippers Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Clippers have dominated this series of late, winning nine of the last 10 meetings. While Portland has covered six of them, six of the Clippers' wins have been by nine points or more, which would cover tonight's spread.
Last season, the Clippers were 29-14-1 against the spread at home, and they have already shown signs of how drastically different they are at Intuit Dome this season.
Last season, Harden shot just 39% against the Blazers, but still averaged 20.3 points and 7.7 assists in those matchups, which would get him to 27 points plus assists tonight. Leonard did not play against the Blazers last season, but he has averaged 20 points at home in each of the past three seasons.
Avdija is averaging 23 points and six rebounds through his first two games, clearing 26 points plus rebounds in each. He had 15 points and three rebounds in his last game against the Clippers, but he was tracking well, going 6-for-9 from the field in 23 minutes. A few assists from Holiday may help him get there.
Holiday has spent the last two seasons playing off-ball in Boston. Still, he has reprised his role as a primary facilitator in Portland, where Scoot Henderson remains out for the foreseeable future. Holiday has averaged 6.2 assists per game in his career and has recorded six assists in each of his first two games with Portland, including 11 against the Warriors.
Pick: Clippers -8 (-110, bet365)
Trail Blazers vs. Clippers Parlay Odds
- James Harden 27+ Points + Assists
- Kawhi Leonard 20+ Points
- Deni Avdija 26+ Points + Rebounds
- Jrue Holiday 6+ Assists
Parlay Odds +365 via Fanatics
Clippers vs Trail Blazers Betting Trends
