LA Clippers (21-17) vs. Portland Trailblazers (13-26)
January 16, 2025 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Portland Trailblazers +6.5; Over/Under: 221
(Get latest betting odds)
The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Moda Center on Thursday night. Here’s a Trail Blazers vs Clippers Prediction. This article will include a Trail Blazers vs Clippers Pick.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers haven’t been at their best as they’ve lost four of their last seven games overall, but they will be aiming for a third straight victory after last night’s 126-67 win over the Nets. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 23 points on eight of 11 shooting, James Harden added 21 points with six rebounds and 11 assists, while Norman Powell chipped in with 18 points in just 22 minutes of action. As a team, the Clippers shot 54 percent from the field and 12 of 32 from the 3-point line. The Clippers dominated the second quarter by 37-14 to take the early lead, before they piled on the points in the second half to earn their biggest win of the season. The Clippers will play the Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, and Wizards next.
Portland Trail Blazers
Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers have been doing it tough lately, as they’ve lost six of their last eight games overall. The Trail Blazers will be hoping to avoid a fourth straight defeat after getting routed by the Nets in a 132-114 loss on Tuesday. Scoot Henderson drained eight 3-pointers to lead the team with 39 points and six assists, Tounami Camara added 23 points while Shaedon Sharpe chipped in with 21 points on nine of 17 shooting. As a team, the Trail Blazers shot 45 percent from the field and 17 of 38 from the 3-point line. The Trail Blazers allowed 40 points in the first quarter to fall behind going into halftime and things only got worse in the second half where they got outscored by 66-53. Anfernee Simons just couldn’t get it going on this night as he shot just three of 12 to finish with just 11 points and the bench combined for just 18 points. The Blazers will meet the Rockets after this game.
Why the Portland Trail Blazers will win
- The Trail Blazers have won three of their last four games as underdogs when playing with a rest advantage.
- The Clippers have lost four of their last five road games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
- The Clippers have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine road games on the second leg of a back-to-back against Western Conference opponents.
- The Trail Blazers have covered the spread in eight of their last nine games as home underdogs following a home loss.
Why the Los Angeles Clippers will win
- The Trail Blazers have lost 14 of their last 15 games against Clippers teams that held a winning record.
- The Clippers have won 13 of their last 14 games against Trail Blazers teams that held a losing record.
- The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last 10 games as underdogs after losing as favorites.
- The road team has covered the spread in each of the Trail Blazers’ last six games.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for Q1 points per game this season (25.5).
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for Q4 opponent points per game this season (29.8).
- The Clippers rank 29th in the league for turnover percentage this season (14.7%).
- The Clippers rank 3rd in the league for steals per game this season (9.7).
Trail Blazers vs Clippers Prediction
The Clippers are still slightly shorthanded with Terance Mann still out, while the Trail Blazers are still missing Jerami Grant, Robert Williams, and Deni Avdija. The Clippers come into this meeting as the team in better shape, they are as healthy as they’ve been all season and just took down the Nets by a ridiculous 59-point margin last night. The Trail Blazers have the advantage of extra rest, but they are still banged up and they didn’t look great in their big loss to the struggling Nets on Tuesday. It’s always tough to play on zero days’ rest, but the Clippers have more than enough firepower to take care of business in this spot.
