Currently the Trail Blazers have been struggling and they have lost four of their last five games. In that games,;the Blazers have been porous at defending their zone. The States are yielding 117.2 points to their opponent per game in that span and the opposition shoot a healthy 47.4 percent against them. When the Portland team lets in over 115 points in a match this year, their record stands at 3-19. Presently, and particularly in the past few games, the Trail Blazers have not been so sharp on defense and therefore the Clippers should not have trouble getting to 115 points in this game.
They are a very good defensive team so I think in the high thirty’s in that range namely Los Angeles. They have conceded the fifth smallest number of points per game this season and the fourth smallest number of field goals made, and the sixth smallest number of threes made. Moreover, they do so coming off of a game where they more or less embarrassed themselves on the defensive end against the Brooklyn Nets. That was an indication of how great their defense can actually be. Portland is incredibly inept on the offensive end, so do not be shocked to once again witness the Clippers’ stifling defense Thursday evening.
List of injuries: Hassan Whiteside Achilles, Pat Converse G League, CJ McCollum finger, Robert Covington sore right knee. Probable starters missing are Jerami Grant, Donovan Clingan, and Robert Williams. Deni Avidja is questionable. Portland cannot afford to lose all of those players for this match. Nevertheless, those four are not even on a list of top scoring players but they contribute significantly to the Trail Blazers. I would say just watch the injury report in Portland. But in the unlikely event that the Trail Blazers will again lose those four players, clearly, the Clippers will have a fat shot at the win.
Still Portland will have to step up to the challenge and play good defense like the Clippers do. They have not been very strong on defense in the recent past, and they will have to stand tall if there is any chance they were this game.
Fortunately, Los Angeles isn't a very good offensive squad. They have the eighth-lowest point average in the NBA, averaging 108.9 points per game. In addition, Los Angeles has a tendency to make mistakes frequently. The Trail Blazers have a good chance of covering the spread if they can manage to keep the Clippers below 115 points.
There have been reports of injuries to the Trail Blazers. Their top two scorers are still active, though. Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons score 18.4 and 18.7 points per game on average, respectively. Both players take a lot of shots, however neither one shoots the ball very effectively. On Thursday night, these two players must perform well.
The Los Angeles Clippers have lost four straight away on the road. They defeated the Brooklyn Nets 126-67 at home at Intuit Dome in their most recent matchup. Norman Powell scored 18 points, James Harden scored 21, and Kawhi Leonard scored 23.
The Portland Trail Blazers lost their most recent game at Moda Center 132-114. Their third consecutive loss came at home against the Brooklyn Nets. Shaedon Sharpe scored 21, Toumani Camara scored 23, and Scoot Henderson scored 39 points.
The last time these clubs faced one other, the Clippers prevailed. Intuit Dome recorded a 127-105 triumph over the Blazers. The Clippers have won nine of the last ten meetings between the two clubs.
