How NBA Playoff Betting Differs From Regular Season

Golden State vs Portland Odds Prediction

Written by on February 18, 2016

There is a good chance that we may be watching history unfold before our very eyes, as the Golden State Warriors continue their quest to post the best ever single season record in NBA history. There is a lot that can happen to derail that, with injuries and resting players in the latter part of the season possibly playing a role in the final outcome. You also have to consider that every other team in the league are going to up their game in an effort to knock off the best team in the league. The Portland Trail Blazers are on a good run of for right now, and they may well pose a very tough test for the Warriors in Friday night. Can the Trail Blazers muster up what could be a close to titanic feat and come up with a NBA betting lines upset vs the Warriors?

Golden State Warriors Vs Portland Trail Blazers Game Info:

When: Friday, February 19, 10:00 PM ET Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon TV: CSNB NBA Odds: TBA

Why bet on the Golden State Warriors

There is nothing I can say about the Golden State Warriors (48-4) that hasn’t already been said by thousands of other sports writers. It is often said that repeating as a champion is one of the toughest things to do in sports, but this team is making it look like the easiest. The numbers that they are positing are just staggering, and are pretty much what you would expect from a team that has only dropped 4 games all season long. If you had to pick a weakness, it would be that all their losses have come on the road, but how can you really say that a 24-4 road record is any sign of weakness. It is going to be interesting to see just how hard this team plays in the second half, as they try to figure out if setting the record or repeating as champions is more important. The Warriors re averaging 115.5 PPG, and are giving up 103.3 PPG.

Why bet on the Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers (27-27) were one team that were probably a little disappointed to see the All-Star Break arrive. Portland have been on a great run of form, and closed out the first half going 8-2 in their last 10 games. They will definitely want to improve on their current #7 ranking in the Western Conference, but they are probably realistically looking ahead to the game against the Utah Jazz over the weekend. A win in that one would give them the tiebreaker over the #8 ranked Jazz, which may come in handy of the playoff race stays as tight as it is right now. The Trail Blazers have lost each of their last 4 meetings with the Warriors, which is not really anything to be ashamed about. Portland are a heathy 16-11 on home court, and will try to use a raucous home crowd to their advantage in this one. The Trail Blazers are averaging 102.5 PPG, and are giving up 101.9 PPG.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

It has been fun to watch the Trail Blazers get back to .500 over the past few weeks, but I think their momentum is going to be temporarily stalled versus the Warriors. I see a pretty comfortable double digit win for Golden State as the most likely outcome here. Golden State Warriors 112 Portland Trail Blazers 101