The Portland Trail Blazers (42-40) and San Antonio Spurs (62-20) will meet in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs tonight. Tipoff is set for 9:00 p.m. ET from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The game will broadcast live on NBC and Peacock.
The Spurs are 10.5-point favorites over the Blazers on the spread (Spurs -10.5), with the over/under set at 221.5 total points. San Antonio is a -535 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Portland is +400 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Trail Blazers vs. Spurs predictions and NBA picks for Sunday, April 19.
Trail Blazers vs Spurs Prediction
- Trail Blazers vs Spurs pick: Trail Blazers +10.5 (-105)
My Spurs vs. Trail Blazers best bet is on Portland to cover the spread in tonight's game. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Trail Blazers vs Spurs Odds
| Trail Blazers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -105 | 221.5 -110o / -110u | +400 |
| Spurs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -115 | 221.5 -110o / -110u | -535 |
Trail Blazers vs Spurs NBA Playoffs Game 1 Preview
San Antonio Spurs Betting Preview
Juggernauts like the Spurs are usually soft against the spread in their first playoff games. That’s the thinking here.
Top-two seeds that missed the playoffs the year before are 6-7 ATS since 2003.
That isn't a huge margin, but we do have anecdotal evidence backing it such as Oklahoma City struggling with the Pelicans, the Lakers having issues with the Blazers in the Bubble, and the Nuggets losing outright to the Spurs in 2019.
Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview
I like this matchup for the Blazers. They have shot the ball much better over the last two months of the season, which gives them a chance to hang offensively.
Portland has enough athleticism to compete with the Spurs getting downhill, and they have big forwards and centers like Donovan Clingan and Jerami Grant to try and deter Victor Wembanyama from the rim and make him a jump shooter where he’s inconsistent.
Trail Blazers vs Spurs Pick, Betting Analysis
Trail Blazers +10.5
This won’t be a big play; the Spurs might be singularly good with Wemby in ways that history is unable to really provide context for.
But, I like the matchup for Portland and make the spread for this game Spurs -8.
I’ll fade the inexperience of the Spurs, even against an equally inexperienced Blazers team.
Over 221.5
The Blazers compete defensively, but actually aren’t that great of a defensive team. The Spurs could wind up hanging a huge number on Portland here.
If this game stays close, it’s likely because Portland has found ways to score on the Spurs, outperforming a very low expected win total.
Deni Avdija, the grifting machine, will create stoppages of play with free throws for dead-ball points, and the Spurs’ guards will want to attack downhill constantly.
Luke Kornet Over 3.5 Rebounds
The Spurs are not going to suddenly play Wembanyama 40 minutes after keeping him under 30 minutes in the season. They will continue to be cautious with him.
Luke Kornet went over this line in every game vs. the Blazers… because Wembanyama didn’t play.
But, Portland’s backup centers will play more on the edge in switch coverages, and Kornet is an underrated interior big.
Trail Blazers vs Spurs Best Bets
- Trail Blazers +10.5 (-105)
- Over 221.5 (-110)
- Luke Kornet Over 3.5 Rebounds (-117)
