NBA Betting News and Notes Saturday, April 23

Saturday's NBA Playoffs Betting Preview
By Covers.com

Saturday is all about pivotal games in the NBA playoffs with teams either looking to take commanding leads or make it a series by the end of the day. We break down all the action in our betting preview.

Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers (+1.5, 193)

Toronto's All-Star backcourt showed signs of life and the Raptors will again count on the duo when they visit the Indiana Pacers in Saturday's Game 4 of the first-round series. Guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points on Thursday as the Raptors posted a 101-85 victory for a 2-1 lead and another win on Indiana's home floor would leave the seventh-seeded Pacers in a serious hole.

DeRozan scored 12 points in the first quarter in Game 3 as he quickly set the tone that he was going to erase the 10-of-37 shooting funk he experienced in the first two games. Lowry also was more at ease while putting a 7-of-26 start to the series behind him as second-seeded Toronto finally looked like the team that won a franchise-record 56 games in the regular season. "We're playing more to our identity," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "I don't think in Game 1 we played to our identity and even Game 2. There's so many things we can do better. I won't be happy until we (advance)." Indiana All-Star forward Paul George had 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and once again carried his club, but he suffered through a 6-of-19 shooting effort.

LINE HISTORY: The Pacers opened as 1.5-point home dogs for Game 4 and have yet to move off that number. The total remains at the opening number of 193. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (58-27, 47-38 ATS, 42-42-1 O/U): DeRozan was breathing a sigh of relief after Game 3 as he rebounded from a benching in the fourth quarter of Game 2 to have his best game of the series. "We just have to keep building, keep continuing to get better at both ends," DeRozan told reporters. "(This series) is going to be tough. But that's why we take it so serious when we are at practice, at shootaround and watching film." Center Jonas Valanciunas had 14 boards in Game 3 and he has been a rebounding dynamo by averaging a league-wide postseason best 16 rebounds.

ABOUT THE PACERS (46-39, 42-42-1 ATS, 37-48 O/U: George is averaging 28.7 points in the series and being blown out at home was deeply disappointing to him. "We didn't do our job," George told reporters. "It sucks. We didn't take care of business on our home court. We were in the driver's seat. We have to stay positive. Still have a chance to even this up 2-2, make it a best out of three series." Indiana coach Frank Vogel cited the 17 turnovers as a major issue and allowed that the Raptors "outplayed us in all aspects of the game."

TRENDS:

* Raptors are 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Indiana.
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
* Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
* Under is 5-0 in Pacers last 5 overall.

Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets (-2.5, 200.5)

The Miami Heat have put on an offensive clinic in breezing to a 2-0 lead over the Hornets and hope to keep the points coming when the series shifts to Charlotte for Game 3 on Saturday. The Heat scored a franchise playoff-record 123 points in Game 1 and tallied 72 in the first half of a 115-103 triumph in Game 2.

Miami is shooting 57.8 percent from the floor through the first two games and Dwyane Wade is averaging 22 points and 7.5 assists to lead the way. “We can’t expect to take this same offensive game on the road,” Wade told reporters. “If that ever happens praise God, thank you. We got to expect to win these games with our defense, and our defense has to be better.” The Hornets got strong performances from Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson in Game 2 but went 1-of-16 from 3-point range and could not match the Heat’s pace. Charlotte’s outside shooting took another hit when starting guard Nicolas Batum went down with a foot injury, and he is not expected to play in Game 3.

LINE HISTORY: The Hornets opened as 3-point home favorites and have been bet down to -2.5. The total has been bet down a point from 201.5 to 200.5. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE HEAT (50-34, 45-38-1 ATS, 36-47-1 O/U): Miami believes it has a team that can contend for the Eastern Conference title, and the veterans are making sure the younger players are aware of what’s at stake. “A couple of our veterans spoke up in the locker room — Dwyane, (Luol Deng), (Udonis Haslem),” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “They have been in these situations before. They can be precarious. You have to say on edge. That’s the toughest part. I said it before, I said it yesterday. I wish we could all just go to our caves and wait and quiet (the noise) and get ready for the next battle.” Deng was a remarkable 11-of-13 from the field in Game 1 and was solid again with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting in Game 2.

ABOUT THE HORNETS (48-36, 42-41-1 ATS, 42-40-2 O/U): Batum was one of the keys to the Charlotte offense in the regular season while averaging career highs of 14.8 points and 5.8 assists and scored a team-high 24 points in Game 1 but will likely miss the rest of the series. His absence sets the Hornets back on offense and does not do much to boost the team defensively with Jeremy Lin likely to absorb some extra minutes. “I know my team,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters. “I watch my team closer than anybody. I’m going to look and figure out what the problems are. If we need to make an adjustment, we’ll make it. But this isn’t they’re running stuff that we’re having trouble guarding. We’ve got to keep the ball out of the middle. We’ve got to be cleaner with our basic coverages. We’ve got to make sure we’re not turning the ball over and staying organized on offense.”

TRENDS:

* Heat are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Charlotte.
* Hornets are 1-5 ATS in their last six games versus a team with a winning SU record.
* Over is 4-0 in Heat last four versus Southeast Division opponents.
* Over is 7-0 in Hornets last seven overall.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks (+9, 201.5)

Oklahoma City All-Star forward Kevin Durant rebounded from a horrific game to help the Thunder gain control of the series and he aims to produce again in Saturday's Game 4 against the host Dallas Mavericks. Durant was 7-of-33 shooting as the Thunder fell in Game 2 but rebounded to score a series-best 34 points as third-seeded Oklahoma City rolled to a 131-102 win on Thursday to take a 2-1 series lead.

Durant is averaging 26 points in the series but shooting just 34.2 percent due to the porous Game 2 outing and he said the horrific performance had no effect on his psyche. "When I play well, I don't throw a party for myself afterward," Durant told reporters. "If I play terrible, I'm not going to go out and change anything up. I'm going to go out there and do the same thing I've been doing." The sixth-seeded Mavericks had threatened to make it a series after the 85-84 road win in Game 2 but were totally outclassed back on the home floor. "Look, their talent is a significant problem," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "We know that. The way you mitigate it is to be really tied together and play extremely hard. ... They are beatable, but we’ve got to come out with a better disposition. It’s as simple as that."

LINE HISTORY: The Mavericks opened as 10-point home pups, but have been bet to +9. The total has yet to move off the opening number of 201.5. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE THUNDER (57-28, 39-45-1 ATS, 40-45 O/U): Durant's mood was certainly better after his 34th career postseason game as he had some tense moments of reflection after his poorest playoff performance. "Now I know how fighters feel when they lose the fight and they know the rematch is coming, but it's a year later," Durant told reporters. "That's how it felt for me. I was just so anxious to go out there and try to help my team win and give them a better effort on both ends." Point guard Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 15 assists in Game 3 and is averaging 23 points and 10.7 assists in the series.

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (43-42, 46-38-1 ATS, 40-44-1 O/U): Point guard Deron Williams (sports hernia) missed Game 3 and is doubtful for Saturday's game and could be out the rest of the series but J.J. Barea returned from a groin injury and had 15 points and seven assists. Forward Dirk Nowitzki played despite a bruised right knee and had 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, but he was dismayed with the pace of Thursday's contest. "The way we won Game 2 was it was a slower-paced game for us, kind of grind it out," Nowitzki told reporters. "It's going to be tough for us to win a game if they score 131 points. I don't think we can score 131 right now with the team we roll out there, (due to) the injuries."

TRENDS:

* Thunder are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games versus a team with a winning straight up record.
* Mavericks are 0-6 ATS in their last six home games versus a team with a winning road record.
* Over is 5-1 in Thunder last six road games.
* Under is 6-1 in Mavericks last seven games playing on 1 days rest.

Los Angeles Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers (+1.5, 207.5)

The Los Angeles Clippers appear to be firmly in control of the series as it shifts to Portland for Game 3 on Saturday. The fourth-seeded Clippers rolled past the fifth-seeded Trail Blazers by an average of 20.5 points in the first two games at home and were consistently able to put their foot on the gas in the second half and close out each game strong.

Portland was within six points early in the fourth quarter in Game 2 and feels like it improved from game to game. “Game 1 we were in the game and then they had a stretch where they got on a run, we couldn't score the ball, and we just couldn't close that gap for the rest of the game,” Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard told reporters. “(Game 2) we took it a step further and the game was closer for a little bit longer than it was last game, and then the same thing happened. We went cold and they started to knock down shots.” The Clippers aren’t taking anything for granted and are hoping to close the series out quickly. “The one thing, I don't think I've ever won a series that wasn't a Game 7, so that's kind of the next step is closing out a series,” forward Blake Griffin told reporters.

LINE HISTORY: The Trail Blazers opened as 2-point home pups and have been bet down to +1.5. The total is currently at the opening number of 207.5. Check out the complete line history here.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (55-29, 42-39-3 ATS, 34-50 O/U): Los Angeles leaned on its bench in Game 2 and was rewarded with 43 points from the reserves. “One thing about our bench, what they've been doing in this series is that if we come out of the game up six, when we go back in the game, we may be up 10 or up 12,” star point guard Chris Paul told reporters. “We just need those guys to keep playing with that confidence, and that's why we're a team.” Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford led the bench with 11 points in Game 2 and all five reserves to log at least 12 minutes were plus-15 or better.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (44-40, 44-40 ATS, 44-40 O/U: Portland could use more from its bench as well but really needs to get more out of Lillard and C.J. McCollum in the starting backcourt. Lillard is 13-of-39 from the field in the series while McCollum is 9-of-28, but the two aren’t lacking confidence. “Tonight I just didn’t make those shots,” Lillard told reporters after Game 2. “Our coaching staff did a great job of watching film and putting myself and C.J. in different positions to where they couldn’t really take a lot away from us. I just got to make the shots. I think that’s what it comes down to. There are really no excuses. … The ball just didn’t go in.”

TRENDS:

* Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Trail Blazers are 0-5 ATS in their last five games overall.
* Under is 4-0 in Trail Blazers last four games overall.
* Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings.

Saturday's Early Tips
By Chris David
VegasInsider.com

Toronto (-1½, 193) at Indiana

Since dropping Game 1 to Indiana, Toronto has rebounded with a pair of dominating victories both straight up and against the spread and now leads this first round series 2-1. The Raptors captured a wire-to-wire 101-85 win on Thursday over the Pacers and the double-digit blowout shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering their production as visitors this season.

Outside of the Warriors and Spurs, the Raptors were tied for the third best road record in the NBA during the regular season and the oddsmakers have installed them as 1½-point favorites for Game 4 on Saturday afternoon.

Including Thursday’s loss in Game 3, the Pacers are now 2-5 as home underdogs this season (3-4 ATS) while the Raptors improved to 16-7 (69%) as road favorites.

Indiana wasn’t exactly a super home team this season, producing a 26-15 SU and 21-20 ATS mark in the regular season. Similar to other lower seeds in this year’s postseason, the Pacers were bullies and racked up a 24-8 record against teams with records below .500 while going 21-29 versus winning opponents.

While all of the above angles and stats lean to the Raptors, the difference in this series has been defense and Toronto has dominated Indiana. The Raptors have held the Pacers to 41 percent shooting through the first three games and it’s apparent that Indiana doesn’t have any chance to win unless it hits a high percentage from 3-point land. That was the case in the Game 1 victory when the Pacers were 11-of-21 from beyond the arc. In the two losses, the club was just 10-of-42 (23%).

Paul George has easily been the best player in this series but the sum is usually greater than the parts and Indiana’s remaining roster doesn’t come close to Toronto’s group. Backing teams that lack an inside presence that can score is always dangerous and that’s certainly been the case with Indiana in this matchup.

The ‘under’ has been a great bet in this year’s NBA playoffs and this series has helped that cause with the low side cashing in all of the first three games.

The total for Game 4 is hovering around 193 and VegasInsider.com NBA expert Kevin Rogers believes that trend will continue on Saturday.

Rogers explained, “The Raptors busted the 100-point mark for the first time in their last six road playoff games in Thursday’s 101-85 victory. Toronto owns a 5-1 mark to the ‘over’ in its last six games after allowing less than 100 points on the road, but the Raptors have cashed the ‘under’ in five of its last six contests away from the Air Canada Center. Indiana continued its trend of low-scoring home games in the playoffs as the Pacers are now 6-2 to the ‘under’ in its previous eight home postseason contests, while scoring less than 100 points seven times in this span.”

I’m not a big fan of the afternoon games and I believe it can screw with your rhythm. Toronto was caught napping in the opener, which was played at 12:35 p.m. ET. This matchup is slated a little later and for what it’s worth, the Raptors are 2-2 in afternoon games this season while the Pacers are 2-1 and that includes the result for Game 1.

Sportsbook.ag now has the Pacers listed as 6/1 underdogs (Bet $100 to win $600) to win the series while the Toronto is listed as a minus-850 favorite (Bet $100 to win $11.75).

After Saturday’s tilt, the pair will get two days off before meeting in Game 5 on Tuesday from Toronto.

Miami at Charlotte (-2, 201)

The NBA is often called the “make-or-miss” league and the first two games of this series was evident of that with the Heat notching back-to-back victories over the Hornets from American Airlines Arena.

Miami was ranked near the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting during the regular season at 34 percent but we certainly didn’t see that team in Game 1 or 2. The Heat have connected on 18-of-34 (53%) of their shots from downtown while Charlotte is 7-of-33 (21%) and that pretty much has been the series.

In Game 2 on Wednesday, Miami earned a 115-103 win as a 4½-point home favorite and a lot of the success came early as the club exploded with 43 points in the second quarter. Charlotte actually closed the gap to seven points (105-98) late but the Heat finished the game with a 10-5 run, resulting in a win and cover.

The Hornets were beat up in all facets in Game 1 but in the second installment, they won the battle

The Heat 56-36 in paint Game 1 but Charlotte won the battle in the paint in Game 2. They had the edge on the board (54-40) and Al Jefferson helped the team outscore the Heat frontcourt 48-46 with a 25-point effort. If Charlotte can carry that production back home, most would believe that Miami’s outside shooting will cool off and that will benefit the home squad.

If your handicapping leans to recent playoff history then Rogers has pointed out a solid angle on the Heat. “Miami has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the first round for the fifth consecutive time since 2011. The Heat won and covered in each of their last four opportunities as a road favorite in Game 3 when up 2-0, but are flipped to a road underdog on Saturday,” said Rogers.

One small caveat left out by Rogers is those Heat teams also had LeBron James and Chris Bosh, which is why Charlotte has been installed as a two-point home favorite for Game 3.

Miami hasn’t exactly been great as a visitor in the second-half of the season, going 7-8 SU and 6-9 ATS since the All-Star break. Delving into those numbers deeper, the Heat are 1-5 as an underdog in those games and the five losses came by an average of 14.2 PPG.

Meanwhile, Rogers notes how good Charlotte has been at home down the stretch. He added, “The Hornets have won 13 of their last 15 home contests since losing to the Heat on February 5, but Charlotte beat only four playoff teams in that span (Indiana, Houston, Detroit, and San Antonio), while needing to erase a 21-point deficit to stun the Spurs.”

The betting angles certainly lean to Charlotte in this spot and the line would probably be higher if the Hornets were healthier. The team will be without small forward Nicolas Batum for Game 3 and possibly the rest of the series. He rolled his ankle late in Game 2 and the Hornets will need somebody to step up and replace his all-around solid numbers (14.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.8 APG). Jeremy Lin could jump into the starting backcourt or Charlotte might go big with Frank Kaminksy as it continues to bring the aformentioned Jefferson off the pine.

The series was expected to be tight with Miami listed as a minus-165 favorite prior to Game 1 but those odds have changed drastically after the first two outcomes. The Heat are now minus-850 favorites while the Hornets have been pushed up to 6/1 underdogs to win the series.

Charlotte hasn’t dropped three straight games since early January when it was mired in a seven-game losing skid. Since then, the team has dropped back-to-back games four times including the first two losses in this series. In the following game after the second loss, Charlotte went 3-0 both SU and ATS while averaging 112 PPG.

The Hornets averaged more than four points more at home (105-101) in the regular season and that number could have you leaning ‘over’ Charlotte’s team total of 101½.

The teams will meet again Monday at Time Warner Cable Arena for Game 4.

Saturday's Late Tips
By Tony Mejia
VegasInsider.com

Oklahoma City (-9/201.5) at Dallas

The Mavericks pulled off the biggest NBA playoff upset in two decades, defeating the Thunder in OKC in Game 2 as a 14-point underdog. Money line players who somehow foresaw Kevin Durant having one of the worst games of his career earned anywhere from +1100 to +1300 as reward for their clairvoyance. Durant recovered from shooting 7-for-33 in the loss by scoring 34 points on 11-for-25 in Oklahoma City’s 131-102 victory. He still missed six of his nine 3-point attempts and is shooting just 34 percent from the field and 7-for-26 from beyond the arc, so Dallas has been able to make things difficult on the NBA’s No. 3 scorer (28.2), primarily using Wes Matthews or rookie Justin Anderson on him and running bodies at him to mix things up.

Russell Westbrook has averaged 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 10.7 assists but curiously didn’t grab a single rebound in Game 3, something that hadn’t happened since a game he left after just nine minutes in after breaking his hand on Oct. 30, 2014. His regular-season low this season had been a single board.

It has to be disconcerting for the Mavericks that they have been able to win a few key points of contention thus far in this series but have still been blown out in two of three. The Thunder won every quarter in Game 3 and scored 73 second-quarter points to run away with Game 2. Game 1 saw the Thunder lead 26-11 after one, 59-33 at halftime and 91-53 through three. It was a complete annihilation.

Dallas came into the series hobbled and is a little healthier as they enter this one. Dirk Nowitzki is a few days removed from the bone bruise suffered earlier in the series. J.J. Barea returned after missing Game 2 with a groin injury that forced him to leave the series opener and scored 15 points while dishing out seven assists. Although he’s a defensive liability due to his lack of size, he is the team’s primary catalyst on the offensive end with Chandler Parsons out for the season and Deron Williams (abdominal strain) sidelined. Williams, David Lee (foot) and Anderson (shoulder) are all considered questionable but are expected to play in what is essentially a must-win situation.

Backup center Enes Kanter has been an x-factor in OKC’s wins, averaging 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. He was just 2-for-7 in the loss, scoring six points and grabbing eight boards. Oklahoma City hasn’t won consecutive road games since March 19. Serge Ibaka is 7-for-9 from 3-point range in this series in addition to his strong work defending Dirk Nowitzki. Dion Waiters’ 19 Game 3 points were a welcome contribution, punishing Dallas for understandably keying on the Thunder’s big guns. The Mavs are being outrebounded by an average of 14.7 rebounds in the three games, hanging within 10 in only the Game 2 win. The ‘under’ had prevailed in the OKC’s last four prior to Game 3, while coming in 9 of the previous 11 games for Dallas.

L.A. Clippers (-1.5/207.5) at Portland

The Clippers dominated both games at Staples Center to seemingly grab a stranglehold on the series that was expected to be the most competitive of the Western Conference’s first-round offerings, but all the clichés are being spouted prior to this Game 3. Doc Rivers is warning against over-confidence and complacency, understanding the old adage that a series doesn’t really start until a home team loses a game. The rationale is that the Clips handled the business they were expected to, but face a far greater handling in attempting to get at least a game in Portland. From their standpoint, the Trail Blazers remain confident, knowing they tend to be a different team at home and understanding that regardless of how ugly Games 1 and 2 were, tonight’s must-win can instantly gain them a foothold in this 4-5 pairing.

Losing by 20 points in Game 1 last Sunday, Portland fell 102-81 on Wednesday night in the series that’s been the most spread out schedule-wise. While every other series will have completed at least three games and the Thunder and Mavs will already be through four, the Moda Center will be the final venue to debut as a host venue in the 2016 Playoffs. The Trail Blazers went 28-13 at home this season, tied with Boston and Miami for the seventh-best mark in the NBA. C.J. McCollum will receive his NBA Most Improved Player trophy before a sellout crowd prior to the game, giving the Blazers an opportunity to capitalize on a raucous atmosphere that should be fired up early. Thus far, strong starts have eluded Portland, which fell behind 26-21 in Game 1 and 22-17 in Game 2. The Clippers have won every quarter thus far, doing the most damage in fourth quarters by outscoring the No. 5 seed 69-49.

Multiple factors have gone into the Blazers seemingly running out of gas down the stretch. Chief among them is that they’ve been playing from behind for two games and have simply seen their energy level depleted by the time the final 12 minutes have rolled around. L.A.’s bench was outscored 42-33 in Game 1, but compounded matters Portland by completely dominating Game 2, winning the battle of reserves 43-10. We’ll see whether being back home we’ll help Allen Crabbe get going since the key backup wing has gone just 2-for-8 thus far, scoring just six points and coming up empty from 3-point range. He averaged 10.3 points during the regular season, shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Sixth Man of the Year winner Jamal Crawford is averaging 12 points off the bench, while Austin Rivers has added 10 and Jeff Green, Wesley Johnson and center Cole Aldrich have all made solid contributions. Between DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin and Aldrich, the Clips have been a handful inside, wearing down the Portland front line.

Damian Lillard has struggled thus far in the series, shooting just 33 percent and averaging 19 points, six below his regular-season average. He feels he got a lot of good looks early in Game 2 but wasted opportunities by not shooting it well. McCollum, who broke through by averaging 20.8 points, has averaged just 12.5 on a 32 percent clip. He’s 3-for-12 from beyond the arc. All season, Lillard and McCollum were in the mix with Golden State’s Splash Brothers and Toronto’s All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan among the NBA’s top scoring backcourts. In this series, they’re a combined 22-for-67 (33 percent) and 6-for-26 from 3-point range. That simply won’t cut it, especially with Chris Paul dominating, averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game. The ‘under’has prevailed in six of the last eight Clippers games and has hit in four straight Blazers games. Portland beaten L.A. only once in six contests, going 1-for-4 in the regular season and getting run out of Staples thus far in the series. The win came at home way back on Nov. 20. Three of the four regular-season meeting went ‘under’ the posted total.

Saturday's Top Action
By Sportsbook.ag

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (55-29) at PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (44-40)

Sportsbook.ag Line: Los Angeles -1.0, Total: 207.5

The Clippers will be looking to take a commanding 3-0 series lead with a win in Game 3 in Portland Saturday.

The Clippers have been dominant in this series, winning-and-covering in each of the first two games. They’ll now head to Portland and look to take a 3-0 series lead. Los Angeles is winning games because the team is taking some great shots offensively. The Clippers shot 53.8% from the floor in Game 1 of this series and followed it up by shooting 46.0% in Game 2. They have also turned the ball over a total of 18 times in this series.

The Blazers, meanwhile, have now shot less than 40% from the floor in each of the first two games in this series. Portland badly needs to start making some shots, as the team can’t afford to lose Game 3. One trend that favors the Clippers coming into this game is the fact that they are 12-3 ATS as a road favorite of six points or less this season. Los Angeles is, however, just 8-17 ATS after scoring 100 points or more in three straight games on the year.

SG J.J. Redick (Heel) is a bit banged up coming into this game, but he’s expected to play on Saturday. C Meyers Leonard (Shoulder) is out for the season for the Blazers.

The Clippers are rolling right now and they could really put the Blazers away with a win on Saturday. The reason this team has been playing so well is because PG Chris Paul (26.5 PPG, 8.0 APG, 6.0 RPG, 1.5 SPG in playoffs) has been on fire for the Clippers. Paul has been doing everything that his team needs him to, finding his teammates for open buckets and being aggressive as a scorer when there is nothing there offensively. He has also played some solid defense on Damian Lillard. Paul will really need to come out looking to score on Saturday, though. The Blazers are a tough team to beat at home, so Paul will need to set an example by playing well at the start of this contest.

PF Blake Griffin (15.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.0 BPG in playoffs) will, however, need to be better for this team. Griffin has looked good in spurts, but he needs to be consistent moving forward. He has not looked like the same player since coming back from his hand and quad injuries, and it’s important that he starts to play more like himself soon. One guy that has really done his job in this series is C DeAndre Jordan (10.5 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 3.5 BPG in playoffs). Jordan has been a monster on the glass and is doing his job protecting the rim for Los Angeles. If he can continue to do that then the Clippers should have no trouble winning this series.

The Blazers will come out with a ton of energy in their first home postseason game and this is a team that desperately needs to win. If Portland is going to come away with a victory in this one then PG Damian Lillard (19.0 PPG, 5.5 APG, 4.0 RPG in playoffs) must be on top of his game. He has been badly outplayed by Chris Paul in this series and is shooting just 33.3% from the floor as well. If he is not more efficient then it’s going to be impossible for Portland to win even a game in this series. He’ll also need to find a way to lock in defensively because he is letting Chris Paul do whatever he pleases.

Lillard does, however, need help and SG C.J. McCollum (12.5 PPG, 4.0 APG in playoffs) has not been providing any. McCollum averaged 20.8 PPG during the regular season, but he is shooting just 32.1% from the floor in this series. He was expected to have a big series against Los Angeles, as the team does not defend the shooting guard position well. That has not been the case, though. He’ll need to find a way to be more effective moving forward or the Blazers are likely going to get swept in this series.