Despite the fact that they’re still battling the Denver Nuggets for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers continue to be cautious with their superstars and they have elected to rest Kawhi Leonard against the Trail Blazers on Saturday. It’s the first game of a back-to-backs and the Clippers have been sitting Leonard for one of those games diligently throughout the season. It does appear, however, that Paul George will be in the lineup.
The game tips off at 1 p.m. ET from the NBA bubble in Orlando, and the Clippers vs. Blazers odds from William Hill have shifted dramatically since news broke that Leonard was out. After the the Clippers were originally favored by 4.5 points, the Blazers are now favored by four with the total dipping from 233.5 to 231.5. Before making any Blazers vs. Clippers picks, check out the latest NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it’s already returned well over $4,200 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks this season. It entered the week on a blistering 54-32 run on top-rated NBA spread picks, returning almost $1,900 on those picks alone. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Clippers vs. Trail Blazers. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds from William Hill and trends for Trail Blazers vs. Clippers:
- Clippers vs. Blazers spread: Blazers -4
- Clippers vs. Blazers over-under: 231.5 points
- Clippers vs. Blazers money line: Clippers +155, Blazers -175
- LAC: The Clippers are 6-2 against the spread in the last eight games
- PORT: The Blazers are 6-2-1 against the spread in the last nine games
Why the Clippers can cover
While both teams are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games, the Clippers are 38-30 against the spread for the season while the Blazers are just 30-38. George had 25 points in just under 29 minutes on 9-of-14 shooting in his only previous appearance against the Blazers this season.
The Clippers won that game 117-97 despite Leonard shooting just 3-for-15 from the floor and scoring 11 points. With George averaging 26.3 points per game and shooting a whopping 51.5 percent from the 3-point line since the restart, he should be capable of carrying the scoring load for the Clippers on Saturday and keeping them competitive with the Nuggets nipping at their heels.
Why the Blazers can cover
The Blazers have been fantastic in the bubble, posting a 3-1 record on the strength of an impressive offense. Portland is scoring 1.22 points per possession in Orlando and, by any description, that is an elite offensive pace. Damian Lillard, averaging 29.1 points and 8.0 assists per game, is the biggest reason for Portland’s success, but Jusuf Nurkic is back at full strength to provide the Blazers with a skilled, physical presence near the rim.
Defensively, Portland is far from elite but, with its full complement of players available, the Blazers are much better than the season-long metrics indicate, and life is a bit easier in this matchup with Harrell out of action for the Clippers.
How to make Clippers vs. Blazers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning over on the total with four total players projected to score 20 or more points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 70 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Blazers vs. Clippers? And which side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Clippers vs. Blazers spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $4,200 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
