Blazers-Suns Pick
The Portland Trail Blazers will look to clip the Phoenix Suns when the two teams meet in the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs. We take a look at the series and hand out our free pick.
The Suns finished with a 54-28 record this season while securing the third seed in the Western Conference. They were outstanding at home, finishing with a 32-9 mark, while also sporting a winning record on the road (22-19) as well.
The Trail Blazers locked up the sixth seed in the West after compiling a 50-32 regular season record. They finished with a 26-15 home mark and a 24-17 road record while also wrapping up the season winning seven of their final 10 games.
Oddsmakers from online sports book BroburySports.com have made the Suns –600 money line favorites to beat the Blazers in the teams’ first round series. Portland, meanwhile, is +400 on the money line as an underdog.
This may wind up being the series that closes out first in the West. (And yes, that includes the top-seeded Lakers beating the Thunder.) The Blazers beat the Suns in Phoenix earlier this year without Brandon Roy, but the fact of the matter is that Portland’s best player hasn’t been as good this season as he was in 2008-2009. The Blazers were just 8-9 in games he missed and there’s a remarkable difference in their play when he’s not on the court.
The Suns are the hottest team in the West right now and while they’re susceptible to losing to bigger, more physical teams, the Blazers aren’t known for their size. Don’t let the season series record (Portland won two out of the three matchups) fool you – the Suns should easily cruise into the next round.
Our NBA Playoff Series Free Pick for this matchup is: PHOENIX SUNS –600.
(Note: This free pick is for the entire seven game series and is not to be confused with our daily NBA picks, which are for individual games.)
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 47-33 ATS (+10.7 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 33-21 ATS (+9.9 Units) as a favorite this season.
PHOENIX is 24-15 ATS (+7.5 Units) in home games this season.
PHOENIX is 23-9 ATS (+13.1 Units) second half of the season this season.
PHOENIX is 344-290 ATS (+25.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
PORTLAND is 45-35 ATS (+6.5 Units) in all games this season.
PORTLAND is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games this season.
PORTLAND is 32-18 ATS (+12.2 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 50-35 ATS (+11.5 Units) versus poor defensive teams – allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PORTLAND is 33-19 ATS (+12.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams – allowing 99+ points/game – 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PORTLAND is 5-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 6-4 straight up against PORTLAND over the last 3 seasons
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX
[C] 03/31/2010 – Robin Lopez expected to miss first round of playoffs (Back)
PORTLAND
(!)[G] 04/15/2010 – Brandon Roy expected to miss at least the series vs. Ph
[C] 04/17/2010 – Marcus Camby probable Sunday vs. Phoenix ( Ankle )
(!)[F] 04/14/2010 – LaMarcus Aldridge is upgraded to probable Sunday vs. Ph
[C] 12/06/2009 – Greg Oden out indefinitely ( Knee )
[C] 12/22/2009 – Joel Przybilla out for season ( Knee )
Portland Trail Blazers (Series Price) +400
Phoenix Suns (Series Price) -600
Posted: 4/18/10 2:00PM ET