Nets vs Blazers Matchup: Brooklyn Comes Out Swinging
Nets Finish Four Game Road Trip in Portland
It’s no secret that the Brooklyn Nets have had a rough start to their NBA season. They’ve dealt with issues off the court with Kyrie Irving and on the court with the firing of head coach Steve Nash a few weeks ago. Their last outing against the Sacramento Kings didn’t help get their season back on track.
The Nets gave up a season-high 153 points to a Kings team that is middle-of-the-road at best. Brooklyn has now lost their last two games with Thursday night’s game being the last stop of their four-game West Coast road trip.
The Blazers on the other hand are coming off a relatively easy 7-point win over the Spurs on Wednesday and have now won four of their last five games. Looking at the lines for this Nets vs Blazers matchup, the spread opened at Portland -2.5 and has stayed steady while the total sits at 221 after opening at 220.5.
Game Information
Game: Brooklyn Nets (6-9) at Portland Trail Blazers (10-4)
Location: Moda Center
Day/Time: Thursday, 10:00 PM ET
Nash Booted, Team Motivated
After the firing of their head coach Steve Nash, the Nets got out to a great start under new head coach Jacque Vaughn. They started playing harder and much better on the defensive side of the ball. In their first six games under Vaughn, Brooklyn only gave up an average of 94 points per game. That’s pretty good for an NBA team that had one of the worst defenses in the league to start the season.
However, it seems like the Nets have reverted back to their old ways in their two most recent losses to the Lakers and the Kings. In those two games, they gave up an average of 134.5 points per game. And the 153 points they gave up against the Kings on Tuesday were the most regulation points a Nets team has given up in history. Not to mention that it was the Kings highest scoring total in nearly 30 years.
Hey Blazers, Welcome to Zoo York
Coming into the Nets vs Blazers matchup, we expect to see a Brooklyn team that is ready for revenge after an embarrassing loss.
If you look at NBA stats 2022, the Nets have been a much better first-half team this season with a net rating of +4.4.
On the flip side, the Blazers, while they’ve been the more consistent team, have gotten off to slow starts with a net rating of -4.4 in the first half. Because of that, and because we expect Brooklyn to come out focused from the start tonight, we recommend playing the Nets vs Blazers matchup in the first half.
The Nets are +1 in the first half or +115 on the Moneyline and we like either of those plays. Obviously, taking the Moneyline gives you a little bit more bang for your buck.
Nets Better Guard the Arc
We don’t have a play on the full game but would lean to the Blazers covering the spread and winning outright. Portland’s defense is ranked No. 6 in the league, giving up just 107.6 points on average, which should give the Nets some trouble late in the game as they start getting tired.
On offense, the Blazers have a lot of long, athletic players that will attack the basket early and try to wear down the Nets defense until it opens up the perimeter where they can knock down three-point shots. Portland also has the edge in three-point shooting, sporting the third-best 3-point field goal percentage in the league. That’s also an area where Brooklyn struggles to defend, ranking 28th in 3-point defense.
Overall there isn’t anything that could get us to trust backing the Nets in a full-game situation right now, which is why we like a play on the first half. That being said, Brooklyn is kind of in desperation mode after a few bad losses, so they could come out angry and put up a huge number on the Blazers. For that reason, we’re staying away from the full game.
It’s also important to note that there are a number of NBA injuries right now, so always be sure to check each team’s injury report before placing a bet.
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