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THUNDER vs ROCKETS (GAME 1)
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Sports Betting breakdown on this NBA Playoffs Round 1 Game 1 matchup between the eighth seeded Portland Trail Blazers vs first seeded Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is set for Tuesday, August 18 at 9pm et.
The oddsmakers currently have the Lakers as -5.5 point favorites and the over/under is at 229.5 points. The betting public has 53% of their money on the Lakers.
These two teams last met at the end of January, where Damian Lillard scored 48 points, which included seven 3-pointers, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, leading the Trail Blazers to a 127-119 road win.
The Blazers come into this game fresh off a 126-122 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in game for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference on Saturday. Lillard continues his MVP bubble performances, averaging 37 points per game on almost 50 percent shooting from the field.
In that last game, Portland lost forward Zach Collins due to left ankle inflammation and Wenyen Gabriel will start in his place. Portland is 1-5 against the spread in their last 6 games against Los Angeles and the total has gone over in 6 of the Blazers last 6 games.
The Lakers come into this playoff series off a rocky 3-5 record in the bubble, but they already clinched the top seed weeks ago. It’s time for LA to turn on the switch and show the rest of the league why they were top seed of the West.
In their last 3 games, the Lakers are putting up an average of 119 points per game, but on defense where they are usually a top 5 defensive team, they’ve been giving up an average of 124 points points per game.
Rondo had his first practice with the team and has been medically cleared to play, but it’s unlikely you’ll see him in this game.
Los Angeles is 0-5 against the spread in their last 5 games and the total has gone over in 4 of the Lakers’ last 6 games.
Our numbers show the best opportunity to cash in big on this Blazers/Lakers game is to roll with the Lakers Team Total Over 58 points in the first half at the -115 price.
