Philadelphia 76ers at Portland Trail Blazers: NBA Predictions
Written March 23, 2009 by Anthony Moretti
The 76ers their 5th and final game of a West Coast road trip with their match up tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers. Philadelphia recovered from a two game losing streak by beating up on the lowly Sacramento Kings last night. Philly won 112-100, but the game wasn’t nearly that close. Portland gets to head home after a 5-game road trip of their own. The Blazers should welcome their surroundings as they are 28-6 this year in Portland. Looking at the NBA odds for tonight’s game, the Blazers are 8 point favorites over the 76ers and the total for the game is set at 190 points.
Philadelphia is still fighting to hold on to a playoff spot, but they still have a lot of season in front of them. They need to continue to beat teams like Sacramento, that they should beat, in convincing fashion, but they need to beat the better teams in the NBA, like Portland, on a more consistent basis. Philly’s leading scorer, Andre Iguodala, is starting to heat up. He already averages 18.2 points per game, but has stepped up his game, scoring nearly 23 ppg over the 76ers last 6 wins. It’s obvious that he needs to find his stroke in order for Philadelphia to notch a win at Portland. The last time these two teams met Iguodala scored 29 points, leading the Sixers to a 100-79 win back on Jan. 14th in Philadelphia.
The Trail Blazers are finally back in Portland for the first of 4 straight home games after a grueling 5-game road trip. Their last time on the court the Blazers scored a 12 point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Tonight they’ll host the 76ers, who gave them one of their worst losses of the year back in January. Portland’s strength comes from their backcourt with Brandon Roy and Steve Blake. Roy leads the Blazers in points, assists, minutes, and steals. Blake isn’t as dynamic as a scorer as Roy (just 11.1 ppg), but he runs the offense well and shows a lot of hustle on defense. There’s no doubt that Portland remember the beating that the Sixers gave them in Philadelphia. As one of the best home teams in all of the NBA, the Blazers might just return the favor in Portland tonight.
The Blazers have been the better team over the course of the season and they are extremely difficult to beat on their home court. Philly is coming off of an impressive win, but they may be suffering from some fatigue on their 5th road game in a row and after playing just last night. There is a bit of a revenge factor here and I like Portland to have a big game. I’m giving the 8 points as I think this line will rise throughout the day.
Pick: Take the Portland Trail Blazers -8
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