The Suns are hosting the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Portland is favored by 2.5 points and this game carries a total of 227.5 points.
Let’s get into my pick and prediction for this contest.
Suns vs. Trail Blazers prediction, preview
These Western Conference clubs have had very different seasons so far. The Trail Blazers are 5-1 and rank fifth in net rating while the Suns are 1-4 and rank 25th in net rating. These teams opened the regular season against each other and the Trail Blazers blew Phoenix out in Portland, 124-83. Both these clubs last played Monday and Portland went into Denver and beat the Nuggets, 118-110, while Phoenix lost to the Warriors in Golden State, 116-113.
The Trail Blazers have really impressed on both sides of the ball, ranking top-10 in both offensive and defensive rating, and they lead the NBA in rebound rate. After earning his first All-Star selection last season, Deni Avdija has continued to be a great, all-around player, averaging 23.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 48.5% from the field.
After missing all of last season with a torn Achilles, Damian Lillard has taken on a secondary role to Avdija, but Lillard has complemented Avdija very well, with Lillard averaging 19.3 points and 4.0 assists per game. Ja Morant was also off to a strong start this season, averaging 15.8 PPG, but the often injured guard is already hurt again, as Morant will miss his third game in a row tonight with a hamstring injury.
Portland has been just fine without Morant, though, winning it’s last two, as Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson have done a nice job filling the void left by Morant. Up front, Donovan Clingan is having a great season, averaging 10 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. The UConn product has been very impactful on both sides of the ball and with Clingan on the floor, the Trail Blazers boast a great +21.9 net rating.
As for the Suns, they rank 12th in offensive rating, but dead last in defensive rating. Devin Booker remains a great scorer, leading Phoenix with 23.2 PPG, and both Dillon Brooks and Miles Bridges are averaging over 16 PPG. However, Jalen Green has been brutal, averaging a career-low 11 PPG after averaging 17.8 PPG last season. The guard has always been a streaky player, but Green only scoring more than 12 points once in five games is alarming.
Green scoring the ball at a high level again would be a big boost for Phoenix, but that is unlikely to happen tonight with the Trail Blazers’ stout defense on the other side. Even if Green is able to find a rhythm, the Suns’ league-worst defense puts them at a massive disadvantage on a nightly basis. Another huge problem for Phoenix is it’s rebounding, as this squad ranks dead last in rebound rate. Conversely, the Trail Blazers rank first in rebound rate, so Portland should dominate on the glass tonight.
Realistically, the only thing working in the Suns favor tonight is that they will be at home, but having the home-court advantage likely won’t be enough for the Suns to win this game. Phoenix is 1-1 at home, but Portland is a perfect 4-0 on the road, so the Trail Blazers being a road favorite for this matchup is well deserved.
Suns vs. Trail Blazers pick, best bet
The Trail Blazers have been worlds better than the Suns this season and Portland should go into Phoenix tonight and get a road win. As mentioned above, the Trail Blazers are a perfect 4-0 on the road this season.
Especially after how the Trail Blazers embarrassed the Suns in the season opener, its surprising Portland is only favored by 2.5 points for this matchup and this club is a terrific bet to cover tonight. The Trail Blazers are 4-2 ATS while the Suns are a league-worst 0-5 ATS.
