Currently, the Golden State Warriors are 42-17 and desperately searching for their 43rd win. Heading into the All-Star break, they had lost two straight games to the Clippers and the Nuggets. In order to gain control of the Western Conference, they’ll need to string a few wins together starting with Warriors vs Blazers game.
They can get started by beating the Portland Trail Blazers, who are 10th in the West. Their hopes to retake the Western Conference might be slightly unrealistic, though.
The Phoenix Suns have a stronghold on the conference and are 48-10 right now. As far as unbeatable teams go, the Phoenix Suns rank among the best in the NBA.
If the Warriors want to catch up, one win won’t do it. However, it’ll be the jumpstart they need to light a fire under the rest of the team.
Now, as far as the game itself, the Warriors have great odds against the Trail Blazers. Portland has the 20th-ranked offense in the NBA, averaging 108.17 points per game. However, it might shock you to learn that the Trail Blazers have the No.9 three-point shooting team.
This could mean trouble for the Warriors, who are known for their three-point shooting. The good news for Golden State is they have one of the best defenses in the NBA.
In fact, they rank fourth in the NBA in points allowed per game at 103.69. Using this defense, they can separate themselves early and get a sizable lead over Portland.
From there, the Warriors can focus on what they do best, shoot daggers from beyond the arc. There is, however, an important injury to take note of.
Draymond Green will be missing from Thursday’s game against the Trail Blazers. You could argue that the Warriors have had so much trouble lately due to his absence. With Draymond Green out, the defense begins to suffer.
Not only that, but rebounding can also become an issue. Still, the overwhelming offense of the Warriors should be enough to win this game. In their most recent game against Portland, the Warriors were -14.5, a ridiculous spread.
They won the game 104-94 but were unable to cover for obvious reasons. The spread in this game is much more realistic, which we’ll cover below. The current spread for this upcoming game makes it one of the best NBA bets today.
This Warriors vs Blazers game, the Golden State Warriors come in as 6.5-point favorites, a much more reasonable spread. This spread is uniform across most sportsbooks at the time of this article. The spread has likely been reduced based on the Warriors’ recent performances.
Still, this is a much more realistic bet for you to make. Had it been the same 14.5-point spread from the previous game, we’d steer clear of it.
However, this is a good spread, and the Warriors are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 against Portland. On the road, the Warriors have gone 16-11, so don’t be concerned about their traveling. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Warriors need to win this game, and we expect them to.
