Trail Blazers vs Suns Prediction 10/21/26 NBA Picks Today

The Phoenix Suns are coming into town with a completely re-engineered roster after finishing last season with a respectable 45-37 record to earn the 8th seed, only to get swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

Devin Booker led the way with averages of 26.1 points and 6.0 assists per game, but he just didn’t get nearly enough consistent support with Jalen Green missing significant time due to injury. The Suns made some moves in the offseason as they traded away Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale for Miles Bridges while signing Luke Kennard from free agency.

Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers were able to surpass their modest expectations by finishing with a respectable 42-40 record last season. What made it more impressive was that they did that with a midseason coaching change, and a lot of the credit goes to Deni Avdija, who led the team, averaging 24.2 points per game.

The Trail Blazers fought their way through the Play-In tournament to make it to the first round of the playoffs, where they got smashed 4-1 at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. There is plenty of optimism around the new squad with Ja Morant, Jeremy Sochan, and Vit Krecji joining the team at the expense of Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, who were sent to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Why the Portland Trail Blazers will win

• The favorites have won 21 of the Trail Blazers’ last 22 games at Moda Center.
• The Suns have lost seven of their last eight road openers against Northwest Division opponents.
• The favorites have covered the spread in five of the Trail Blazers’ last six games at Moda Center.
• The Suns have failed to cover the spread in four of their last five season openers.

Why the Phoenix Suns will win

• The Suns have won seven of their last eight season openers.
• The Trail Blazers have lost six of their last seven home openers.
• The road team has covered the spread in each of the last four games between the Suns and Trail Blazers.
• The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in four of their last five games.

Total Points Facts

• Each of the Suns’ last six night games against Northwest Division opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
• Each of the Trail Blazers’ last five home games against the Suns have gone OVER the total points line.

Portland Trail Blazers Player Facts

• Donovan Clingan ranked 1st in the league for second-chance points (339) last season.
• Robert Williams III ranked 3rd amongst qualified players for blocks per 36 minutes (3.1) last season.

Phoenix Suns Player Facts

• Devin Booker ranked 9th amongst qualified players for points per game (26.1) last season.
• Collin Gillespie ranked 19th amongst qualified players for three-pointers made per game (2.9) last season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Trail Blazers ranked 30th in the league for opponent steals per game last season (10.8).
• The Trail Blazers ranked 30th in the league for turnovers per game last season (17.3).
• The Suns suffered the largest comeback loss when leading through Q3 last season – led by 18 points vs. the Hawks on November 16.
• The Suns suffered the most losses by a margin of five points or less last season (14).

The Suns are still missing some players, with Mark Williams already ruled out and Luke Kennard listed as questionable, while the Trail Blazers have ruled out Shaedon Sharpe and Branden Carlsen, with Micah Potter and Deni Avdija both listed as questionable.

This is one of those games where you should check the lineups before tipoff because the injury cloud hanging over Avdija will certainly have an impact on the line come game time. It’s hard to split these teams at this point of the season, but the Suns represent decent value as they were a solid 24-16-1 ATS in their 41 road games last season, and I like their chances against a shorthanded Trail Blazers squad.

Peter Tran's Free Pick: Phoenix +2.5