by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR
Where to watch: ROOT-SP+, NBCSP+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: 76ers -2
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: 76ers -2.5
Caesars: 76ers -2.5
Season record
76ers: 28-16
Blazers: 21-23
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the season in the NBA and it’s been quite the ride so far. Al McMordie is cashing hard at 22-15-0 in the last 30 days, while Doc’s Sports has also had a strong run of form as of late at 14-10-0 (+$3,000). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the final 41 games. Trust us, you want to know.
76ers - Blazers preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
76ers: won 120-110 at Clippers
Blazers: lost 122-113 at Nuggets
The Philadelphia 76ers will try to reel off a fourth straight win on Thursday when they make a visit to the Pacific Northwest and take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
The 76ers are coming off a 120-110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday with the Sixers rolling as 1.5-point underdogs. Joel Embiid did Joel Embiid things with 41 points and nine rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey had 22 points off the bench in 27 minutes. Tobias Harris had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, while James Harden was held to just six points on 1 of 6 shooting.
“I was just trying to start off strong because what I’ve come to find out is that my energy kind of drives the whole team,” Embiid said. “If I’m at least being aggressive offensively and defensively, my teammates are going to pick up no matter if I make shots or not.”
The Sixers improved to 28-16 on the year and remain third in the Eastern Conference, staying stride for stride with the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. Philadelphia has won five of its last six despite going 3-3 against the spread in that time.
“It wouldn’t be happening without my teammates,” he said. “James (Harden) is doing a good job of making it easy for me. Guys knocking down shots opens up a lot for me to go out and dominate.”
The Blazers are coming into this game having lost six of eight, the only two wins coming in the back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks in which the latter’s defense completely fell apart. But the Blazers are coming off a 122-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets, currently playing like the top team in the Western Conference, so no shame.
Damian Lillard poured in 44 points, but ran into an absurd 36-point triple-double from Nikola Jokic. Jerami Grant also had 18 points, while Anfernee Simons had 14 on just 5 of 15 shooting.
“It’s a lot of stuff that we could have done better, but down the stretch I just felt like the refs just decided the game,” said Lillard, who drew a technical foul late in the fourth quarter. “Obviously it’s going to be bumps, it’s going to be a physical game, both teams working hard to win a game. We get down the stretch and it was just like everything we did was a foul. That’s just what it seemed like to me.”
Prediction
The Blazers are on a tough go right now and their play against big men doesn’t look promising. This seems like the perfect time for Embiid to make something happen. 76ers 124, Blazers 107
Betting trends
76ers are 12-4 ATS when line is +3 to -3 this season.
76ers are 14-4 ATS after 2 straight games making 50% of their shots or better the last 2 seasons.
Blazers are 11-26 ATS when playing 8 or more games in 14 days the last 2 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
76ers:
PG: James Harden
SG: De’Anthony Melton
SF: Tobias Harris
PF: P.J. Tucker
C: Joel Embiid
Blazers:
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: Anfernee Simons
SF: Josh Hart
PF: Jerami Grant
C: Jusuf Nurkic
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
