Tag Archives: Portland Trailblazers

Free NBA Basketball Picks: Friday Night Games

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Alright, a couple NBA game intrigue me tonight, including the ESPN double header. There’s not any NCAA picks getting me excited, no big match ups or anything of that nature, so I’m sticking to pro ball this time around. Good luck in your wagering!

Houston Rockets @ Philadelphia 76ers (+3) : The 76ers have been bad, they haven’t been winning games, and Allen Iverson’s return to the court, while certainly making a great story, hasn’t helped the 76ers turn it around in two games since his return. But I think they have a nice chance to make some waves against an impressive young Rockets team. Houston has played very well, but I think the 76ers match-up well with the Rockets. While normally a guy like Elton Brand has to deal with a big post, he’s actually a good size match-up with the Rockets bigs. Allen gets to deal with a guard that might be even smaller than him in Aaron Brooks. The other AI will have a nice match-up with Trevor Ariza. The 76ers are underdogs at home, and I’ll take them to pull the upset.

Golden State Warriors @ Chicago Bulls (-4): The Bulls are a solid home team, and while they have lost 9 of their last 10 games, the Warriors playing on the road are always a nice slump buster. Before beating the Nets last time they played, the Warriors had lost 4 straight and given up about 120 points per game. That should help the Bulls’ struggling offense. Do work. Is it just me or do the Bulls always suck early in the season? It’s the Jordan curse.

Portland Trailblazers (+9) @ Cleveland Cavaliers: The Blazers are hurting, most definitely, but that just means they won’t have 10 guys getting minutes. Being a little light up front shouldn’t hurt them too badly against the Cavs, and I always like the Blazers as a big dog. Cleveland doesn’t beat too many teams by double digits, seems like the Blazers are a good bet to me. LeBron James is good for a win, but 9 points?

Orlando Magic (+3) @ Phoenix Suns: I think the Magic will beat the Suns at their own game. They have just as many shooters, but they also have a big shot blocker down low, a handful of guys that rebound, and they just played a stinker in the 2nd half last night. I know it’s the second of a back to back, but I like Orlando to win this one.

TNT Thursday Night: San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers

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You can follow both of Thursday Night’s NBA games on TNT. The San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls play at 8:00pm ET, while the Denver Nuggets play in Portland at 10:30pm ET. In both situations, the home teams are playing on a day’s rest while the visitors are playing the second of back to back games. Here are my picks for Thursday’s action.

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San Antonio Spurs (-3.5) @ Chicago Bulls: The Bulls will be playing their first game of the season, and you know with a young team that first-game anxiousness will be there in full effect. Chicago has a solid front line, but against Tim Duncan’s crafty old ways, I think they’ll be abused in the post a little bit. San Antonio is playing the second of a back to back, but with last night’s game being such a blow out, the key guys for the Spurs got plenty of rest, and if anything Wednesday Night was an opportunity for the Spurs to get together as a squad. This is a very veteran team, and against a young Bulls team on their opening night, I like the Spurs chances of winning on the road.

Denver Nuggets @ Portland Trailblazers (-7): I think 7 is too much, and it might come back to haunt me, but I like the Trailblazers to win, so I have to take them and the points here. Denver definitely had to exude some effort last night, and everything fell for them in the second half to get their win at home against the Jazz. Portland is a different group with some big bodies down low that can change a lot of shots. The Blazers looked really good on their opening night Tuesday, and the way those guys get along should give them some nice confidence in this one. Portland is rested, ready to go, and ready to prove themselves against one of the West’s best. I like them to win this Thursday.