Burning Hot Blazers Visit Struggling Hornets Nest
The New Orleans Hornets (4-3 SU, 2-4-1 ATS, 3-4 O/U) have dropped three of their last four games in the BetUS Sportsbook. The Portland Trail Blazers (5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS, 6-2 O/U) are on a roll, having won four consecutive games for BetUS NBA sports betting buffs.
The Blazers will look to keep to their winning ways going when they visit the Hornets at New Orleans Arena tonight.
Portland beat the Miami Heat 104-96 on Wednesday as I predicted in the BetUS Locker Room earlier in the day, covering the spread as a 1-point road underdog in the BetUS Sportsbook.
The young franchise has a plethora of gifted young stars, led by two-time all-star shooting guard Brandon Roy, fellow third-year star, LaMarcus Aldridge and now, a player that may be better than both in rookie swingman Rudy Fernandez, an amazingly talented player who has played as a professional in Spain since 2001.
The 23-year-old combo guard-forward, who has looked like the Blazers’ best player at times, led Portland in scoring with 25 points off the bench on 7-for-11 shooting while Roy added 22 points and Aldridge 14.
“The most important thing is we have played very well as a team,” said Fernandez who has averaged 15.4 points per game off the bench.
The Hornets are coming off a disheartening 93-86 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in which they were dominated throughout until a late fourth quarter rally got them within striking distance.
Point guard Chris Paul scored 30 points on 13-for-19 shooting and all—star forward David West added 21 points but only one other player reached double digits in scoring in the loss.
The Hornets are struggling with their shooting, making just 43.5 percent from the field over their last four contests.
“That’s killing us the last four or five games,” coach Byron Scott said. “We’re not able to knock down shots right now. We’re getting a lot of good looks.”
Here is a look at the key betting trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NBA Free Picks:
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Portland’s last 7 games
Portland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland’s last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Portland’s last 25 games on the road
New Orleans is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Portland
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Portland
New Orleans is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 6 games at home
NBA Odds
Portland Trail Blazers +7½ -110
New Orleans Hornets -7½ -110
Over 192 -110
Under 192 -110
Analysis: While I like the new Orleans Hornets to win this game, I just don’t see them blowing out the young and confident Blazers! The fact of the matter is that Portland now has three players in Roy, Fernandez and Aldridge that can create their own shots and put the ball in the hole consistently and are mature beyond their respective years, particularly Fernandez and Roy.
Take Portland to cover while pushing New Orleans for the outright win!
