Portland Trail Blazers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The Portland Trail Blazers (5-12; 8-9-0 ATS) and Cleveland Cavaliers (10-8; 7-11-0 ATS) are meeting for the last time this season. Thursday night's clash in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will be the final showdown until at least 2024. Unless each club makes it to the NBA Finals. Barring that unlikely scenario, this 7:00 p.m. EDT meeting is the last one for a while. Who will come out on top?
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Portland Picking It Up
Portland may only have five wins, but they've succeeded in two of their last three. The latest came over Indiana, 114-110 playing the second half of a back-to-back. Jerami Grant had 34 points to lead a team that's last in offensive rating per NBA.com. Portland is 29th in true shooting percentage, 28th in turnover percentage, and 23rd in free throw rate. If there's one area where the Trail Blazers can find consistent success, it's offensive rebounding. Otherwise, scoring is a struggle for this year's team.
On the other end of the floor, Portland is 28th in defensive rebounding percentage. However, the NBA's second-highest turnover percentage has helped them become 15th in defensive rating. They only allow opponents to take 36.5% (6th) of their shots from beyond the arc, and those players only knock down 34.6% (6th) of those attempts. It helps mask issues defending the rim. They haven't allowed more than 110 points in three straight, and Portland will try to make it a fourth.
Cavs Coming Up
In their past eight games, six have ended with Cleveland winning. The first of that stretch was over Portland, and the most recent was against Atlanta. Donovan Mitchell exploded for 40 points in that one. Cleveland is 22nd in offensive rating, and Mitchell does most of the hard work. He's the top shot-maker for a squad that's 14th in true shooting percentage. A three-point percentage that's 20th is overcome by a rim shooting percentage that's ninth. 38.7% of their shots come at the rim too. Cleveland is mediocre everywhere else, but that's typically good enough.
That's because, on the other end, they're 12th in defensive rating. 12th is low for this Cleveland team's expectations. However, their past two opponents could not cross 105 points. Their weaknesses are fouling opponents and defensive rebounding. A 37.4% three-point percentage against hurts them a ton too. Otherwise, the Cavs are top 10 at defending the rim and midrange. They're also 13th in turnover percentage. Injuries slowed them down early, and now the Cavs are starting to click.
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Best Bets for this Game
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In a battle of defensive teams, trust the Cavaliers to come out on top again. Don't expect it to be close. Portland's inability to do anything well offensively except grab boards will doom them in Ohio on Thursday night.
The Trail Blazers may succeed at limiting foes from attempting (or making) threes, but that won't matter in this game. Cleveland excels at hitting shots everywhere else, which is why they'll win. The matchup in Portland was settled by 14, and this one should be similar.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers -11.5
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These teams are both stronger on the defensive end of the floor. Each club also plays at a slower pace, which will limit possessions. Just like the first matchup (204 total points), this game is going to be low-scoring.
Portland is 29th in true shooting up against a Cavs team that forces misses well. Cleveland has turnover issues, while the Trail Blazers force the second-most turnovers per game. Roll with the under again.
Prediction: Under 219.5
Watching, playing, and talking about sports has always been an essential part of my life. I graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Communication, and now, I'm striving to be an essential voice in sports media for decades to come. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone more competitive than me, and that extends into my sports betting predictions as well. We're all here to win, and my goal is to make that happen every single night while letting my personality shine in the process. I am honored to be apart of this team.
