Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The NBA is back in action after an exciting inaugural in-season tournament, where the Los Angeles Lakers took home the trophy. One of the interesting matchups on Monday night features a Western Conference battle between the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 ET from crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA.

Trail Blazers Riding Three-Game Slide

Chauncey Billups’ Portland squad isn’t off to the greatest start this season as they’re just 6-15 out of the gate. The expectations weren’t too high entering the year, and especially now as the Trail Blazers have the longest odds to win the NBA Title (+100000). They’re currently riding a three-game losing streak, and those defeats have come at the hands of Utah (118-113), Golden State (110-106), and Dallas (125-112), most recently. From a sports betting perspective, the Blazers come into this game at 10-11 ATS and they’ve seen 12 of their 21 games go under the total. 

The recent defeat to the Mavs saw the Blazers fail to cover as a 9.5-point underdog. From a statistical standpoint, Portland actually won the rebounding battle (48 to 42), shot better from three-point range (34.0% to 30.8%), and tied in turnovers (15 to 15), but they were outshot from the field (51.6% to 37.1%). You won’t win many NBA games shooting sub-40% nowadays. 

Individually, Jerami Grant leads the way as a small forward, posting team high marks in scoring (22.1 PPG) and blocks (0.9 BPG). Deandre Ayton has been a double-double machine, adding 12.9 points per game while securing a team-leading 10.8 rebounds per night. It’s worth noting that Ayton is listed as questionable (knee), alongside Grant (concussion) and Malcolm Brogdon (knee).

Clippers Heating Up, Win Three Straight

Los Angeles is going to have its hands full in a tough Western Conference this season. Even with the mid-season addition of James Harden, the Clippers enter Monday’s action at +1800 to win the title. That’s just the seventh-shortest odds in the league, with three of the teams above them being in the West (DEN, PHX, LAL). Los Angeles is heating up as they’ve won their last three games, taking care of business against Golden State (113-112), Denver (111-102), and Utah (117-103), most recently. As for the sports betting numbers, the Clippers have gone 9-12 ATS and they’ve seen the under cash at a 13-6-2 rate. 

The Clips were an 8.5-point favorite in their recent win, so they covered quite comfortably. Statistically, Los Angeles was better in field goal percentage (48.9% to 45.2%), three-point shooting (44.1% to 29.0%), and in turnovers (14 to 16). They also tied on the glass with 40 rebounds apiece. 

As for individual efforts, Paul George has led the way in both scoring (23.4 PPG) and steals (1.8 SPG). James Harden is adding 15.8 points per game while dishing out a team-leading 6.8 assists per night. Ivica Zubac has made his presence known down low, scoring 12.0 points per game while posting team high marks in rebounds (9.1 RPG) and blocks (1.5 BPG).

Best Bets

Full-Game Side Bet

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This is one of four double-digit spreads on Monday night, so the oddsmakers are expecting a few blowouts as the NBA returns from the in-season tournament. This is a nightmare matchup for the Trail Blazers, so I’m going to lay this big number with the Clippers. 

For starters, Portland is pretty banged up as Jerami Grant (concussion), Malcolm Brogdon (knee), and Deandre Ayton (knee) are all listed as questionable. They’re already the worst offense in the Association, so if they’re without (or only have sub-100% health) of three of their top five scorers, I think they’ll struggle to keep pace. Meanwhile, the Clippers are pretty healthy at this point and they’re riding a three-game win streak. I think Los Angeles mops up this lowly Portland side on their home court.

Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers -12.5 (-110)

Full-Game Total Pick

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As I mentioned above, Portland is literally the worst offense in the NBA. They’re ranked 30th overall in offensive efficiency, averaging just 102.6 points per 100 possessions. This isn’t a good matchup for them as they’re running into the fifth-ranked defense. Los Angeles is limiting opponents to just 107.5 points per 100 possessions. The Clippers have allowed just 102 and 103 points in their last two games (against Denver and Utah, respectively), so I won’t be surprised at all if they keep the Blazers under 100 points. 

Finally, both of these teams rank in the bottom third of the Association in terms of tempo. Portland uses just 100.9 possessions per game (21st) while Los Angeles is right behind them at 23rd, using only 100.7. I’m expecting this veteran Clippers side to put the clamps on the wounded Trail Blazers, while also doing enough to stretch out the lead and cover this line.