Revenge Time
Three wins shy of tying their franchise record for consecutive wins, the Portland Trail Blazers’ impressive streak came to an end earlier this week against the Utah Jazz.
The Trail Blazers look for a bit of revenge when they host the Jazz on Saturday.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global have made Portland -3.5 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 201 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 61% of bets for this game have been placed on New Portland -3.5 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
Portland (20-13) won 13 straight from Dec. 3-30 before losing 111-101 to the Jazz (18-16) on Monday in Salt Lake City.
The Blazers have bounced back quickly, however, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 90-79 on Wednesday, then defeating the Chicago Bulls in double overtime the next night, 115-109. Brandon Roy had 25 points and 11 assists while Travis Outlaw scored 21 against the Bulls.
Jarrett Jack provided the key play of that game, picking up a loose ball after Ben Gordon lost it and converting a three-point play late in the second overtime that gave Portland the lead for good.
"The ball sprung loose and I was just ready to get it. I knew I was going to attack him after that," Jack said.
Jack, who is averaging 9.7 points, has scored in double figures in four of the last six games, getting 17 points on Thursday.
The Blazers needed Jack to step up against the Bulls after Roy injured his tailbone with a hard fall earlier in the game. Roy, who leads Portland with 19.5 points per game, said he wasn’t moving as well at end of the game. He finished with another solid performance, however, going 7-of-15 from the field to go along with six rebounds, two steals and no turnovers.
Roy, who has helped spark Portland’s recent run, has averaged 22.7 points since Dec. 3.
"We’re just trying to play it one game at a time," Roy said. "Some people give us credit and some people don’t, but I think the good thing about this locker room is that nobody cares. We’re just going to approach every game as if we can win."
Roy has scored 22 or more points in four of the last five games. The only time he was held below that was Monday against Utah, when he scored 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
The Jazz followed up that win over the Blazers with a 110-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Six players scored in double figures, as Carlos Boozer scored 22 points and Mehmet Okur added 20.
Utah’s bench outscored Philadelphia’s 38-26, and Deron Williams had another good game, with 15 points and 20 assists – one shy of matching his career high. Williams, who is averaging 19.3 points and 9.1 assists, had 18 points and eight assists on Monday against Portland.
"Deron makes it easy, especially on guys like me and Kyle (Korver) who just try and slide into those seams, and he sees us and we get wide-open looks," said reserve C.J. Miles, who had 12 points.
The Blazers have won 10 straight at home – their longest winning streak since winning 10 in a row during the 2000-01 season. They haven’t won 11 straight since winning 16 in a row the season before.
Portland has won three straight and six of eight at home against Utah, including a 99-91 win on Dec. 14.
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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