The Portland Trail Blazers (9-18) travel to face off against the San Antonio Spurs (14-13) on Saturday, December 21st. This game will be played at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio and televised on KATU. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 8:30 ET.

Trail Blazers vs Spurs

The Trail Blazers Are Coming Off A Win

The Trail Blazers improved to 9-18 on the season with a 126-124 win over the Nuggets on Thursday. Portland, who were +8.5 point underdogs, not only won but also covered the spread. The game’s total points of 250.5 exceeded the over/under line of 234.5.

Portland turned the game around after a 10-0 Nuggets run stretched the score from 66-59 to 76-59. They responded with a dominant 3rd quarter, outscoring Denver 38-21, and held off a late comeback attempt by the Nuggets, who won the 4th quarter 37-22.

The Spurs Are Coming Off A Win

The Spurs improved to 14-13 on the season with a 133-126 win over the Hawks on Thursday. San Antonio, playing at home, covered the spread as -1 point favorites. The game’s total of 259 points exceeded the O/U line of 233.5 by 25.5 points.

After a 13-0 run by the Hawks, the Spurs responded by outscoring Atlanta 30-21 in the 3rd quarter. San Antonio entered the 4th quarter with a 90-87 lead and held on, despite being outscored 33-30 in the final period.

Trail Blazers Offense Breakdown

Anfernee Simons led the way with 28 points and 10 assists, hitting 4 threes in the Trail Blazers’ 126-124 win over the Nuggets. Shaedon Sharpe added 27 points, including 12 in the 4th quarter, while Deni Avdija chipped in 19 points, connecting on 3 threes at a 50% rate.

Portland made 16 threes as a team, shooting 34.8% from beyond the arc and 46.4% overall from the field. Simons scored 10 points in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters, while Jerami Grant put up 10 of his 13 points in the opening period.

Spurs Offense Breakdown

Victor Wembanyama’s 42 points and 7 threes led the Spurs to a win over the Hawks, with 14 points in the 1st quarter and another 10 in the 4th. Devin Vassell added 23 points, hitting 5 threes at a 71.4% rate, while Jeremy Sochan contributed 20 points, 9 of which came in the 3rd quarter.

San Antonio connected on 19 threes, shooting 45.2% from deep and 48.5% overall. Wembanyama added 8 points in overtime, and Chris Paul chipped in 7 of his 12 points in the 4th quarter and another 3 in the extra period.

Trail Blazers Team Defense

Even with a rough defensive performance, the Trail Blazers managed to pull out a win against the Nuggets, giving up 124 points on 54% shooting. Portland allowed 35 points in the 1st quarter and 37 in the 4th, but they tightened up in the 3rd, holding Denver to 21 points.

The Trail Blazers struggled to defend the three, as the Nuggets hit 15 threes at a 44% clip. Portland sent Denver to the line 21 times, where they made 15 free throws. The Blazers finished with 30 defensive rebounds, allowing 8 offensive boards, while adding 7 steals and 7 blocks.

Spurs Team Defense

Despite a shaky defensive performance, the Trail Blazers managed to secure a win against the Nuggets, even after allowing 124 points. Portland gave up 35 points in the 1st quarter and 37 in the 4th, but they tightened up in the 3rd, allowing just 21 points.

The Blazers struggled to contain Denver’s shooting, as the Nuggets hit 54% from the field, including 15 threes at a 44% clip. Portland sent Denver to the line 21 times, where they made 15 free throws. The Blazers recorded 30 defensive rebounds, gave up 8 offensive boards, and added 7 steals and 7 blocks.

Trail Blazers vs Spurs Trends

• In their last five games away from home, the Trail Blazers have a straight up record of 0-5 while going 2-3 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 104 points per game in these contests.
• In their last ten games at home, the Spurs have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 4-6 vs. the spread. The team averaged 107 points per game in this stretch.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the underdog, the Trail Blazers have a straight up record of 3-7. Their record vs the spread in these games was 6-4.
• Against the spread, the Spurs have put together 1-2 in their last three games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 3-0 straight up.

Trail Blazers vs Spurs Prediction

Coming in as the underdogs at +6.5, we have the Trail Blazers as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the moneyline.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 227.5 and given that our model is projecting 313 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.