Portland Trail Blazers will look to make it three wins in a row as their chase for playoff places in the Western Conference pits them against Los Angeles Clippers. Portland are coming off a 125-115 win over Denver Nuggets, while the Clippers brushed Dallas Mavericks 126-111 in their previous encounter.
The Trailblazers are coming off straight wins over the Houston Rockets and the Nuggets and their chase for the playoff places continues. They have a 32-38 record and are just half a game behind the eighth-ranked Memphis Grizzlies. Portland will base their hopes once again on Damian Lillard, who sizzled with 45 points and 12 assists in the last match against the Nuggets. With CJ McCollom also contributing handsomely, the Trailblazers are making their mark in the race to top-eight. Lillard averages 29.1 points and 8 assists this season making him their best chance against Portland.
Clippers have already qualified for the playoffs and have won only four of their seven matches since the restart. That said, the Clippers have been experimenting with their squad and remain a strong side with great potential. They have a 46-22 win-loss record and will be looking at Nuggets who are right behind in the third spot with a 45-24 run. Superstar Kawhi Leonard will be looking to pick up another 20-point game while making sure his defensive skills also shone across at the other end of the floor. He has averaged 26.9 points and 7.2 rebounds this season and will once again be the key to the Clippers’ hopes.
Portland Trail Blazers will hope that the red-hot form of Damian Lillard together with CJ McCollom will bring them a positive result against the Los Angeles Clippers. The matchup between Lillard and Kawhi Leonard will go a long way in deciding this game. Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard has now posted four straight 24+ point performances, so backing him to do the same looks practical. Back the Clippers to have a slight edge in this high-scoring encounter which could see an aggregate of 220 points.