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Blazers vs Spurs: A matchup between two of the top rookies
The Portland Trail Blazers are visiting the San Antonio Spurs in Frost Bank Center on Friday night.
The Blazers are coming off a rare road win
The Portland Trail Blazers are 14th in the Western Conference with a 13-31 record. They are playing their best basketball of the season, winning three of the last five games. The Blazers are coming off a 137-131 overtime win over the Houston Rockets. The Blazers have the worst field goal shooting percentage in the league with 43.6 and are ranked second-to-last with 108.2 points per game. Anfernee Simons is the top scorer on the team, averaging 23 points per game.
Are the Spurs tanking?
The San Antonio Spurs are at the bottom of the Western Conference with an 8-36 record, the second-worst in the NBA. The Spurs have lost the last two games and are coming off a 140-114 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gregg Popovich’s team is ranked fourth in the league in field goal attempts per game but only 26th in field goal percentage. The first pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama, leads the Spurs with 20.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
Betting Trends
The Spurs are 9-3 ATS in the last 12 games overall and 6-2 ATS in the last 8 home games played on Friday. The Blazers are 2-6 ATS in the last 8 games against Southwest Division opponents and 3-6 ATS in the last 9 games against Western Conference opponents.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both teams are having difficult seasons, and it seems like rookies Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson still do not have a huge impact on the teams’ records. Wembanyama is unstoppable, but he still does not play many minutes. He will have a chance to go against excellent defender Deandre Ayton tonight, and the final score will heavily depend on that matchup. The Spurs are not about winning this season but about developing Wembanyama and the rest of the young players on the roster. However, the Spurs have to win some games, and the Blazers’ visit is definitely one of those. The Spurs will use this unique opportunity to win this one by covering the -2-point spread.
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