The Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen to the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference after losing to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, and they are looking to bounce back on Thursday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland is in a tailspin right now, losing eight of its last 10 games, including four straight, to fall to the No. 11 spot in the West. Damian Lillard spoke about the team getting through this tough stretch after a loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
"I'm on the team, so breaking ain't going to happen"
— Orlando Sanchez (@orlandokgw) January 11, 2023
Damian Lillard to @highkin on the Blazers sticking together in tough times
"I think it's going to make us better down the line...[breaking] that's not an option for us" #RipCity pic.twitter.com/2xfNkTfXon
The Blazers need Lillard to carry them, and we saw them miss the playoffs last season when he was out with an abdominal injury. The bad news for Portland?
Lillard is questionable with an ankle injury on Thursday.
Blazers say Damian Lillard is questionable tomorrow with a left ankle sprain.
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) January 12, 2023
The Cavs have really struggled on the road this season (8-12 straight up), but they could be in a prime spot to bounce back if Lillard sits.
Here’s a look at the odds for this game from BetMGM:
Cavaliers vs. Blazers odds, spread and total
Cavaliers vs. Blazers prediction and pick
Despite there being a plethora of scoring talent on both sides in this game (especially if Dame plays), I think the UNDER is the play in this matchup.
Both of these teams play at a very slow pace, with Cleveland playing at the slowest tempo in the NBA. Portland clocks in at No. 24 in pace this season.
If Lillard sits, the Blazers are going to rely on Anfernee Simons, who has been slumping as of late, to carry the load at the guard position.
I’m not too confident in either of these offenses, which both rank in the bottom 10 in the league in points per game, to have a breakout performance.
The Cavs average 4.9 less points per game on the road than they do at home this season, and Cleveland has hung its hat on the defensive end all season anyway, ranking second in the league in defensive rating.
Portland comes into this game as the second best UNDER team in the NBA, going 22-16-2 this season. Cleveland isn’t much behind, hitting the UNDER in 22 of its 42 games.
Bettors may want to wait to see if this total moves based on Lillard’s status, but if he ends up being out, 220.5 is a value line to take the UNDER.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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