Phoenix @ Portland NBA Free play Friday 1-27-12
Friday night in the Rose City, two longtime Western Conference rivals will battle. One is looking to continue its upward trajectory into the elite of the Western Conference, while the other is trying to quell the tide of a bear market on its prospects. Burgeoning star LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers will line up against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. This is the second meeting of the season between these teams, with the Suns posting a 102-77 home win on January 6th. Here’s a look at my NBA picks on the game.
Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET
The Suns started 4-4, but have dropped seven of nine since, including a 99-96 home loss to Toronto – the team’s third straight defeat at home. The Suns were 2-3 on their most recent five-game roadie, winning at New York and Boston, but they are still struggling offensively, ranking just 19 th in scoring (92.7 ppg). However, Steve Nash is having a near MVP-like year (14.5 ppg, 10.4 apg, 53 percent FGs) and Marcin Gortat is riding a streak of nine straight double-doubles (15.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 59 percent FGs). If Phoenix can find a consistent third option, its fortunes just might turn.
The Blazers started 5-1, but their previous loss to Phoenix started a 6-7 stretch since, including 4-6 in their last 10 games. A modest two-game win streak was snapped Wednesday with a 101-93 loss at Golden State as third game of a back-to-back-to-back stretch. Portland is a strong 8-1 at home this year, losing only to Orlando (107-104). The Blazers are one of the top-10 rebounding (43.2 rpg) and scoring (86.7 ppg) teams in the league, thanks to the play of LaMarcus Aldridge (22.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and a balanced attack – six Blazers average double-figures scoring. This is a team that will run, but will also battle physically with its overall athleticism. They have shown bouts of inconsistency, however, seeming to play up or down to their competition.
The NBA odds for tonight list the Blazers as 9.5-point favorites, while the total is set at 190.5 points. Portland has beaten some top teams at home already this year – Philadelphia, the Lakers, the Clippers and the Nuggets – while Phoenix does not have a quality road win to its credit yet this year (all three road wins have been against teams with losing records). With that in mind, while Nash and Gortat have been tremendous for Phoenix, it will have to find a third scorer and better tempo in order to beat a deep team like Portland on its own floor, who should be out for revenge.
Final Score Prediction: Blazers 104, Suns 92
