PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* NBA Game of the Day >> 87-49-5 L141 NBA Sides!
(NBA) Portland vs. Minnesota,
Point Spread: 2.00 | -126.00 Portland (Away)
Result: Win
Point Spread: 2.00 | -126.00 Portland (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up: No NBA games were scheduled opposite CBB's national championship game but the 38-38 Portland Trail Blazers will be in Minnesota Monday night to take on the 30-45 Timberwolves,making up a March 6 game that was postponed due to condensation on the floor. The Blazers are riding a season-best six-game winning streak and hope to make it seven in a row against the T-wolves, who squandered a chance at a three-game winning streak on Saturday by losing 123-117 at home to the Kings. The defeat officially eliminated Minnesota from playoff contention!
Portland: The Blazers have gotten hot at the right time, as after averaging 29.1 points in leading Portland to a 13-3 record in March, PG Lillard scored 31 in Saturday's 130-117 home win over the Suns. Lillard (26.8-4.9-5.9) and McCollum (23.3) have been the team's big guns all season but a key component of the team's late-season surge has been the play of center Jusuf Nurkic. He's averaged 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 20 games since coming over in a trade from the Denver Nuggets but suffered a fractured fibula in his right leg in Thursday's win over the Rockets and will miss the rest of the regular season. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Minnesota: As noted often in my write-ups, the Timberwolves are one of the NBA's biggest disappointments this season. Allowing the sad-sack Kings, no Cousins (traded) or Gay (injured) to shoot 56.4 percent from the floor in Saturday's home loss is a clear indication that this team hasn't come close to understanding or being able to implement head coach Tom Thibodeau's defensive teachings.
The pick: Regarding that loss to the Kings, Karl Anthony-Towns (24.7 & 12.1) said, "We can't ever be outworked," Towns told reporters. "I felt like we were outworked in the second half. We put them at a big deficit, we should have put the game away. We can't have games like that." All year long, Minnesota has had "games like that!" Even without Nurkic, the Blazers have a chance to get above .500 with a win over a Timberwolves and extend their lead over the Nuggets to 2 1/2 games, with just five remaining, It's been quite a run for Portland (14-3 SU & 13-4 ATS) and why should Minnesota get in the way? Make Portland a 10* play.
Portland: The Blazers have gotten hot at the right time, as after averaging 29.1 points in leading Portland to a 13-3 record in March, PG Lillard scored 31 in Saturday's 130-117 home win over the Suns. Lillard (26.8-4.9-5.9) and McCollum (23.3) have been the team's big guns all season but a key component of the team's late-season surge has been the play of center Jusuf Nurkic. He's averaged 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 20 games since coming over in a trade from the Denver Nuggets but suffered a fractured fibula in his right leg in Thursday's win over the Rockets and will miss the rest of the regular season. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Minnesota: As noted often in my write-ups, the Timberwolves are one of the NBA's biggest disappointments this season. Allowing the sad-sack Kings, no Cousins (traded) or Gay (injured) to shoot 56.4 percent from the floor in Saturday's home loss is a clear indication that this team hasn't come close to understanding or being able to implement head coach Tom Thibodeau's defensive teachings.
The pick: Regarding that loss to the Kings, Karl Anthony-Towns (24.7 & 12.1) said, "We can't ever be outworked," Towns told reporters. "I felt like we were outworked in the second half. We put them at a big deficit, we should have put the game away. We can't have games like that." All year long, Minnesota has had "games like that!" Even without Nurkic, the Blazers have a chance to get above .500 with a win over a Timberwolves and extend their lead over the Nuggets to 2 1/2 games, with just five remaining, It's been quite a run for Portland (14-3 SU & 13-4 ATS) and why should Minnesota get in the way? Make Portland a 10* play.
