Keagan Smith dives into his pick and prediction for the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers game on Friday\u2019s NBA slate.<\/p>\n
Every single NBA team is in action on Friday night, bringing us a loaded 15-game slate with plenty of variety to choose from. Some of the matchups may not have high stakes, but a sleeper of a showdown between the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers will determine the postseason pathway of both these squads. Believe it or not, the stakes are high!<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a Clippers vs. Trail Blazers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for this Friday night matchup.<\/p>\n
Clippers vs. Trail Blazers prediction, preview<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Clippers<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a journey to get here, but the Clippers can officially finish with an above-.500 record if they secure a win tonight. At 41-39, they\u2019ve survived a pretty major re-tool of their roster at the midseason mark and remain feisty, so pulling off this feat would prove a major feather in the franchise\u2019s cap. Plus, a victory puts them firmly in the eighth seed for the Play-In Tournament picture, bringing a potentially better path into the actual playoffs. With a NETRTG of +1.4 that ranks 14th, it\u2019s not the worst outcome by any means.<\/p>\n
The Clippers are near the bottom of the league in pace and average only 114.0 PPG, but they\u2019re actually 11th in OFFRTG. The offense is shockingly efficient with a 48.5% FG% (third best) and 36.8% 3P% (seventh best), and their free-throw rate sits third in the NBA as well. That efficiency is a saving grace, especially since they\u2019re dead last in assists per game, second-to-last in AST\/FGM and fifth lowest in AST\/TO ratio. Los Angeles is also second-to-last in rebounds per game with only 40.6, but the defense does stand out as a unit. The Clips allow only 112.6 PPG, the 10th fewest, though they\u2019re 18th in DEFRTG. Additionally, they\u2019re sixth in steals with 9.1 per game.<\/p>\n
Thankfully for L.A., practically the entire team is healthy tonight. Kawhi Leonard will lead the way as per usual with his 28.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game as the primary creator in this attack, but co-star Darius Garland is looking good in his 15 games with the team thanks to 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per contest. Bennedict Mathurin continues to provide scoring pop with 18.0 PPG. Big man John Collins averages 13.7 points with 5.3 boards, while Derrick Jones Jr. also brings double-digit scoring.<\/p>\n
Portland Trail Blazers<\/p>\n
The Trail Blazers have also managed to drag themselves up to a respectable record as they approach the .500 mark at 40-40. That\u2019s significant growth in comparison to the last couple of seasons, and the chance to somewhat control their own destiny with a victory over the Clips which would place them eighth in the Western Conference must be a strong draw. However, they\u2019re only 20th in NETRTG at -0.7 and there are real questions about postseason viability.<\/p>\n
Portland has an offense that puts up a respectable 115.4 PPG, but it\u2019s not always a pretty process at 21st in OFFRTG. The Trail Blazers are one of the least efficient teams in the sport with a 45.3% FG% (29th) and a paltry 34.4% 3P% (27th), and when combined with the greater context of the playmaking, it\u2019s shocking they\u2019re even in the thick of a postseason berth \u2014 their 1.447 AST\/TO ratio is the worst in the NBA as they cough up the ball on 14.6% of possessions. While the defense is a bit porous with 116.1 PPG allowed, that side of the ball has progressed slightly to 14th in DEFRTG and they are seventh in blocks with 5.5 a night. Beyond that, Portland is strong on the glass with 46.0 rebounds a game, sixth most.<\/p>\n
Veteran Jerami Grant (calf) is still sidelined tonight, leaving 18.6 PPG out of the lineup. Down a dependable option, a questionable tag for second-leading scorer Shaedon Sharpe (fibula) hurts even more if the 21.4-PPG guard can\u2019t suit up either. However, Deni Avdija brings team highs with 24.0 points and 6.7 assists a game, also pulling down 6.9 rebounds. Jrue Holiday provides 16.3 points with 6.2 dimes a night, and Scoot Henderson provides 14.4 points with a handful of helpers himself. Young center Donovan Clingan continues to dominate with 12.0 points and 11.6 rebounds per outing.<\/p>\n
Clippers vs. Trail Blazers pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Trail Blazers as slight -1.5 favorites at home tonight with -122 odds to win on the Moneyline. However, the Clippers are listed at +102 odds of an outright win and the game total sits at 227.5 combined points.<\/p>\n