Portland Trail Blazers vs. Brooklyn Nets Pick – August 13, 2020

The Portland Trail Blazers and the Brooklyn Nets are facing in a dead-or-alive game for the Blazers, who have to win to book their place to the NBA playoffs.

The result is rather irrelevant to the Brooklyn Nets, who secured the 7th place in the Eastern Conference, so they can afford to relax and enjoy the game. The tip-off is set at 9 PM ET.

The rivals met once this season, and the Brooklyn Nets secured a 119-115 road win. They covered the spread in the process, while the game went under on points. That game was before the restart, though, and things have changed dramatically since.

I try to find the best Trail Blazers vs. Nets betting under the current circumstances in this preview that features the latest odds and my analysis.

The Trail Blazers are firm favorites here, and the best basketball betting sites offer them at -9. Portland will be going all-in on Thursday, so this spread is understandable. However, if you think the Trail Blazers will have a tougher job than expected, betting on the Nets +9 spread is one intriguing option.

The total is set at 236, which was also the case in the previous H2H, and as I already mentioned, that duel went under. The Trail Blazers have been quite efficient lately and are scoring a bunch of baskets, so this time around, we could have an over.

The Blazers are 5-2 in the Orlando bubble and won six of the last ten games, while they are 6-3-1 ATS in that period. The over bettors will be happy to hear that O/U is 8-2 in Portland’s past ten games.

A loss to the Los Angeles Clippers snapped their previous two-game winning run, but the Trail Blazers responded with a couple of victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks. Dame hit some insane numbers on both occasions, so he’s the man for Portland right now

"Our work ain’t done yet. We control our own destiny”

Game 7 Mini Movie ? pic.twitter.com/2wofC2uuI2

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 12, 2020

The Nets have been the most pleasant surprise in the Eastern Conference in the bubble. Even though they arrived in Orlando quite weakened, and missed some of the key guys in the process, Brooklyn impressed with five wins out of seven.

The Nets are on a three-game winning streak, and we all remember the massive upset of the Milwaukee Bucks, one of the biggest ones in recent NBA history. They are 8-2 in the last ten games, covered the spread on seven occasions, while O/U is 5-5.

Coach Vaughn went deep on the eve of our last seeding game vs. the Blazers ➡️ "All guys in that starting unit will be available to start the game…looking forward to getting some rhythm back on the floor." ? pic.twitter.com/saDBhMTAgC

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 12, 2020

The Trail Blazers fans will be glad to know that C.J. McCollum (back) is probable to face the Nets, and hopefully, he will put a bad outing against the Mavs behind.

On the other hand, Portland won’t be very happy to hear that Brooklyn’s coach Vaughn plans to play his best players available and keep up a good rhythm and form for the playoffs. Jarrett Allen (ankle), Caris LeVert (thigh), and Joe Harris (groin) are all probable to take on the Blazers, while Jamal Crawford is downgraded to out.

The -9 spread on the Blazers might sound tempting, considering how bad they need this victory, but that could be a double-edged sword.

There is always a possibility they will fail to cope with the pressure and the role of favorite. After seeing what the Brooklyn Nets are capable of, I don’t want to go against them, even though they are not expected to win this one. There’s another market that might be worth our attention.

Portland is a scoring machine of late, while they also allow a lot of points. Brooklyn will be relaxed on defense and will fire at will on offense, so this one should be a nice game for an over.

Last time out, the teams failed to combine for more than 234 points, but I am backing them to go over 236.5 here. That’s the line in most of the top NBA betting sites.