Getty Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving.
The Kyrie show is heading west. For the first time this season, Irving and his new squad head west for an extended road trip. The Nets will play the next five away from Brooklyn, beginning Friday night in the pacific northwest. The Blazers have owned this series of late, winning three straight over the Nets.
Brooklyn (3-4) will most likely be without center DeAndre Jordan on Friday night due to an ankle injury. The team called up rookie Nicolas Claxton to fill the void who will likely see the first minutes of his NBA career if Jordan can’t go. Taurean Prince has been a great find at the forward position, recording three double-doubles through the first seven games after not having one in 55 games with the Atlanta Hawks last season.
Portland (3-5) has dropped three straight despite getting strong play behind their 1-2 scoring punch of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Lillard leads the team averaging 30.0 points per game and McCollum is not too far behind averaging 20.9. Hassan Whiteside has been a force in the middle in his first year with the Blazers. Whiteside grabbed 19 rebounds and recorded his fourth double-double of the season in Thursday’s 107-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Game Details: Nets at Trail Blazers
Date: Friday, November 8
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)
TV: YES Network
Spread: Blazers -3
Total: 236
*All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Betting Trends
- Brooklyn is 2-5 ATS this season
- Portland is 4-3-1 ATS this season
- Over is 4-3 in Brooklyn games this season
- Over is 5-3 in Portland games this season
- Brooklyn is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 games vs. Western Conference
- Brooklyn is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games after 3 or more days rest
- Portland is 33-16-2 ATS in their last 51 games vs. Eastern Conference.
- Over is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings
- Road team is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings
*All trends are courtesy of Covers
Prediction & Picks
Portland needs a win as they start a stretch of two straight games at home. The Trail Blazers have owned the series against the Nets of late, winning three straight over Brooklyn. The last game these two teams played was a thriller with Portland winning 148-144 in double overtime last season. With all things being equal, the Blazers are the better team, but the emergence of Kyrie Irving has given a spark to the Nets. Irving’s 222 points are the most in club history through the first seven games of a season, passing Stephon Marbury who scored 203 in the 2000-01 season. Irving is the best player on the floor, so I’ll ride with the dog in this spot.
PICK: Nets +3 (-110)
Both defenses have struggled this season. The Nets are allowing 120.3 points per game and the Blazers aren’t too far behind, allowing 114.3. Brooklyn might be energized considering they haven’t played since Monday, but a trip to the old Rose Garden has a funny way of discombobulating things on the defensive end. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson might need some more cue cards in order to figure out how to defend Lillard and McCollum. This total has moved from 233.5 all the way up to 236 and I’m not sure that’s high enough. Take the over.
PICK: Over 236 (-110)
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