Trail Blazers vs. 76ers NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction (Archive)
The Philadelphia 76ers continue a successful homestand against the Portland Trail Blazers. Which team should you back to make a winning NBA pick?
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Monday, November 01, 2021 – 07:00 PM EDT at Wells Fargo Center
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a 3-2 start. They begin an east coast road trip. CJ McCollum has had a hot start to the season, averaging 24 points per game. Damian Lillard is off to a slow start as he is prone to do at the beginning of seasons. Yet Lillard is a dangerous scorer and cannot be discounted by opposing defenses even if he is not playing his best.
Blazers GM brought in role players to help augment the Blazers defense. Cody Zeller is the best defensive backup center the Blazers have had in years. He has been playing nice minutes for the team. Larry Nance Jr. has also been a solid contributor. Many of Nance’s contributions do not show up in the box score but his defensive versatility and intensity have been a help to the Blazers reserve unit.
New Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been trying to forge a strong defensive identity for this team. So far he has been successful. The Blazers are holding opponents to only 106.6 points per game. The Blazers are also third in the NBA in rebounding averaging 51 rebounds per game.
This is the Blazers’ last run with this core. If they do not win this year they will be forced to make trades of key players in order to give Lillard a chance to win a title in Portland. Billups hopes to get these guys into a top-four seed, complete with home-court advantage in the playoffs, or there might be a serious roster overhaul.
In order to make that leap in the standings, the Blazers are going to have to improve to a high level defensively. This will be key in tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers who consistently play their defense at a high level.
Philadelphia 76ers
In spite of all the controversy surrounding the team, the Philadelphia 76ers are off to an impressive 4-2 start. The Sixers are coming off an impressive 122-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Sixers fans have to be impressed by the manner in which they beat the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.
The Sixers’ ability to win and stay at the top of the Eastern Conference standings is important because it gives GM Daryl Morey more leverage in his seemingly perpetual Ben Simmons trade talks.
The Sixers are led by Joel Embiid who is averaging 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and Tyrese Maxey have all picked up usage in Simmons’ absence. Harris is averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Seth Curry is up to a respectable 15 points per game. Second-year point guard Tyrese Maxey is making an admirable leap in his second year in the NBA, averaging 15 points per game. So far the Sixers have sent a message, "we don’t need you, Ben Simmons!"
The Sixers play strong defense and are efficient from the field. Philadelphia is 8th in the NBA in opponents’ points per game at 103.7. They are the best in the NBA at field goal percentage and free throw percentage at 48.8% and 86.5% respectively. The Sixers’ ability to defend, be efficient on the offensive end, and sink their free throws is a strong reason for their hot start.
Key Matchup
Matisse Thybulle vs. Damian Lillard. Thybulle regularly draws the toughest assignment, guarding the opponent’s best player. In this case, it’ll be Damian Lillard. Lillard is off to a slower start than CJ McCollum, but he is the one the Sixers will be concerned with stopping if they want to continue their win streak.
If Thybulle can keep Lillard subdued, the Sixers have a great chance of winning and covering the spread at the NBA odds.
If Lillard is able to finally have a breakout performance similar to the ones that he finished last season with, Portland can cover the spread showed at BMR’s best sportsbooks and win outright.
Best Bet
This is a really tough matchup for Portland. Philadelphia has the defenders to slow down the Blazers superstars, Damian Lillard and TJ McCollum. The Blazers however do not have the personnel to slow down Embiid.
Portland is coming off a back-to-back where Philadelphia has been resting since the nice home win over Atlanta. Philadelphia has a lot to prove and I expect them to win by a margin.
NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers -6.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
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