76ers vs Trail Blazers Picks and Predictions: Backing Dame Dolla's Hot Hand

As we cross the halfway point of the NBA season, the Portland Trail Blazers seem to have hit a cold stretch, losing seven of their last 10 games. Despite the team's recent struggles, Damian Lillard’s sharpshooting has been red hot, keeping the Blazers in tight contests.

Over his last six games, Dame Dolla’s averaging 39 points, on 54% shooting from the field, and 37.5% from behind the arc. The six-time NBA All-Star is finally healthy and has reverted back to his old ways of terrorizing opposing defenses.

Our NBA picks and predictions for Blazers vs. Sixers keys in on the play of Lillard, who’s primed for another big night in this matchup. 

76ers vs Trail Blazers best odds

76ers vs Trail Blazers picks and predictions

Damian Lillard has struggled with injuries recently, and while he’s missed 12 games thus far, he looks fully healthy in his explosive month of January. His aggressiveness to get to the hoop has resulted in more trips to the free-throw line, where he’s shooting 89.8% on the season. 

After the departure of CJ McCollum in 2019, Portland struggled to find a secondary scorer, which made it difficult for Lillard to operate. Third-year player Anfernee Simons has stepped into this role nicely, averaging 21.7 ppg, while Jerami Grant’s also chipped in strong contributions. This takes a lot of the pressure off Lillard, as teams now have to worry about multiple dynamic scorers from the perimeter. 

As we’ve seen in the past with guys like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, elite shooters in the backcourt benefit from their counterparts. Driving lanes are opened up, as defenders are unable to help, which makes Lillard a more dangerous scorer. At home, his field goal percentage, 3-point shooting, and scoring are all higher than in road contests, which all give me confidence in another hot shooting night for the 11-year veteran.

My best bet: Damian Lillard Over 31.5 points (-110)

76ers vs Trail Blazers spread analysis

Philadelphia fans know all too well about stars being injured. Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey have missed a total of 45 collective games this season. They’re the top three leading scorers on the team, and are finally healthy, thus on a three-game winning streak, including eight of the Sixers’ last 10. Getting key guys back from injury has set Philly apart as one of the top teams, not only in the East, but the NBA.

With an 11-9 record on the road, Philly ranks in the NBA’s top third. The Sixers are on Game 4 of a five-game road trip, winning first three games by an average margin of 4.0 ppg. Philly’s finding ways to pull out wins, but is just 1-3 ATS in its last four games.

Tonight’s line opened at 2.5 in favor of the Sixers, and dropped a full point in some books. This will be their first matchup of the season, but Portland has fared well against the Sixers, going 6-1-2 ATS in their previous nine matchups. 

The Blazers are 11-8 at home this year, and averaging 11.2 PPG more at Moda Center than on the road. They play much better at home, and Philly’s recent inability to cover spreads gives me confidence in Portland covering tonight. 

76ers vs Trail Blazers Over/Under analysis

The total for tonight’s contest broke open at 234. At first glance, it seems high, but not when taking into consideration that Philly has all three leading scorers healthy and playing well together. Philly’s perimeter shooting complements Embiid’s physical interior presence, as the team ranks fourth in 3-point percentage, shooting 38% from downtown.

The new year magic must have rubbed off on Embiid as well. This has been his best month of the season, averaging 35.7 PPG, 9.8 boards, and 1.8 blocks per game. I don’t expect a slower, less athletic Jusuf Nurkic to be able to slow down the big man, which should lead to another explosive night. 

With the dominance Embiid and Lillard have shown, they both will be nominated for NBA Player of the Month in their respective conferences. Slowing each of them down isn’t likely, and should fuel a high-scoring affair in Portland tonight. 

76ers vs Trail Blazers betting trend to know

Trail Blazers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games. Find more NBA betting trends for 76ers vs. Trail Blazers.

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