NBA Picks & Predictions for Friday, March 25, 2011
By Anthony Rome
(The Spread) – Two teams that will play each other twice in the upcoming days lock horns on Friday when the Blazers host the Spurs at 10:00PM ET.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Blazers a 4.5-point favorite over the Spurs, while the over/under total is currently sitting at 192 points.
The Spurs enter tonight’s game with a 57-14 overall record and are 24-11 on the road. According to latest NBA trends, they’re 40-29-2 against the spread this season and 23-11-1 on the road. The over is also 21-14 when the Spurs have played on the road this year.
The Blazers head into Friday night with a 41-30 overall record and a 25-10 mark at home. They’re 37-31-3 against the spread this year and 20-15 ATS at home, where the under has covered in 19 of their 35 games.
NBA Free Pick: The Spurs have struggled against the Blazers with Tim Duncan (anke), so how will their fare without him? They’re 0-7 against the spread in their last seven trips to Portland and are just 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall against the Blazers. The home team in this series is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings, while the Blazers are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games overall. The last time these two teams played in Portland, the Blazers took care of business in February with a 99-86 victory. I see a similar outcome tonight, with Brandon Roy and Co. pulling away in the fourth quarter.
FRIDAY NBA FREE PICK: PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS –4.5