The Portland Trail Blazers (42-40) and Phoenix Suns (45-37) will meet in the second game of tonight's NBA Play-In Tournament doubleheader. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The game will broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
The Suns are 3.5-point favorites over the Blazers on the spread (Suns -3.5), with the over/under set at 216.5 total points. Phoenix is a -158 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Portland is +134 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Trail Blazers vs. Suns predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, April 14.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Prediction, Picks
- Trail Blazers vs Suns picks: Trail Blazers +3.5, Under 216.5
My Suns vs. Trail Blazers best bets are on Portland to cover the spread (+3.5) and the game to stay under 216.5 total points. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Odds
| Trail Blazers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -108 | 216.5 -110o / -110u | +134 |
| Suns Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -112 | 216.5 -110o / -110u | -158 |
Current odds: TRA 41% · SUN 60% · NBA
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Trail Blazers vs Suns NBA Play-In Tournament Preview
The Suns were supposed to be an afterthought this year — but instead, they surged to secure the 7-seed and nearly made the playoffs outright.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have been the definition of mediocrity this season — but Portland has a chance to reach the playoffs for the first time in a long time with a win tonight.
I can’t believe I’m backing this Blazers squad, who I have officially voted the most annoying team in the league.
The Blazers aren't good at anything — literally. They rank 22nd on offense and 11th on defense. So, they are “pretty good defensively” without actually being great.
Portland can’t shoot (22nd in eFG%), can’t rebound (25th in defensive rebound%) — and while the Blazers get to the line a ton (9th in free throw rate), they follow that up with a bunch of misses (22nd in FT%).
However, the problem is that for as fun and connected as the Suns have been this season, they also struggle in a bunch of areas.
The Suns are not great shooters, they give up rebounds, force a lot of turnovers, and make a lot of threes — which should be an advantage here. But, Portland will grind this game down and they have the perimeter defenders to slow down the Suns’ shooting.
I surprisingly make the spread for this game Blazers +1 based on power rating. Phoenix’s rating might be soft due to injuries, but the same might be true for the Blazers, who started to pick things up late in the season.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Predictions, Betting Analysis
Trail Blazers +3.5
I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Portland really might make the playoffs and face the Spurs in what would be an incredibly ugly first playoff series for Victor Wembanyama — though, I’d like to see Donovan Clingan battle him.
I’ll take the Blazers. Phoenix is good, but not good enough to be favored by this much — even at home.
Under 216.5
Play-in tournament games tend to go Under — with the Under sitting at 16-8 since the invention of the tournament.
With both teams' defenses the strongest units on the court, and both teams’ offenses stagnant, isolation heavy, and inefficient — I’m expecting an ugly, grind it out game that favors the Blazers.
Free throws are a concern here; Portland might shoot enough to inflate the score with dead-ball scoring. But ultimately, I like Portland having Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara to counter Devin Booker — and neither team’s bigs are consistent inside scoring forces.
Both squads will go through dry spells. Expect an ugly, choppy game to decide the 7-seed in the West. I’ll take the Under.
Trail Blazers vs Suns Best Bets
- Trail Blazers +3.5 (-108)
- Under 216.5 (-110)
