The Portland Trail Blazers head out on a cross-country road trip that opens tonight at Amalie Arena in Orlando vs the Magic. The Trail Blazers were one of just 10 teams in the NBA with a record over .500 on the road last season so they should feel confident as they kick off their road schedule in Florida. The Magic are coming off an underdog win in Boston on Monday that pushed their ATS record to 3-1 early in the season. Portland opens as a 3-point favorite with the total at 215.
SHARK BITES
- The total has gone UNDER in the Trail Blazers’ last three games vs the Magic (avg. combined score: 197.0).
- The Magic are 1-6 SU and ATS in their last seven games when hosting a West Coast team.
- Portland is 7-1 SU and ATS in its last eight road games vs the Southeast Division.
Trail Blazers vs Magic Game Center
Huge Scoring Discrepancy
Terry Stotts’ roster is firing on all cylinders on the offensive side of half and is third in the league in points per game with 124.3. In fairness, the Blazers have put those numbers up against some porous defensive teams in the Wizards, Spurs and Lakers, so I expect those scoring totals to come back to earth. Washington, San Antonio and LA are three of the four worst scoring defenses in the league so far.
Meanwhile, Orlando is 28th in the Association, scoring 100 points per game, ahead of only Boston and Memphis. However, while Portland has played some loose defensive teams, Orlando has been challenged by the likes of Boston, Philadelphia and Charlotte.
Trail blazers Like the Southeast’s Warm Climate
Over the past two seasons, Portland is 7-1 SU and ATS in its last eight road contests vs the Southeast Division. In five of those seven SU and ATS wins, they were the underdog, so it’s fair to say that the Trail Blazers are perfectly comfortable on the East Coast.
In their visit to Orlando last December, the Trail Blazers won 95-88 in a game in which they closed as 4.5-point favorites. While they’ve been winning on the road in the east, the Blazers have seen the total go UNDER in seven of their last nine games as cross-continent visitors and the O/U is 2-7-1 in the last 10 games between Portland and Orlando.
My Pick for Tonight
I like UNDER 215 points for this game and for Portland to cover the 3 points.
As noted above, the UNDER is the trend in this matchup and five of Orlando’s last six games have cashed for UNDER bettors as well. Each of Portland’s three games has hit the OVER this year, but I think some weak defenses ed for the high totals.
Orlando has held opponents to 106.8 points per game this season and I think that’s closer to where Portland finishes this game as opposed to their three games of 120-plus points to start the season.
