The Portland Trail Blazers will face the New Orleans Pelicans in their second game of the season. Even though the season is young, it has yet to be kind to the Portland Trail Blazers. They struggled to find any offense in their first game against the Golden State Warriors. In what started as a close game soon turned into a blowout as the Warriors walked off the court with nearly a 40-point victory. The young Portland roster looked woefully under-equipped, giving up heaps of baskets in transition. If there was anything positive about the first game, it was the first-quarter defends. Even though the game turned into a blowout, this Portland roster still plays with energy. With a new matchup tonight, this young Portland roster is hungry to prove themselves in the West.
On the other hand, New Orleans managed to win their first game against the Chicago Bulls, though at a cost: They lost their starting point guard Dejounte Murray to a hand injury. Unfortunately, he will miss significant time this season, as he has already undergone successful surgery to repair the damage.
That’s not all of the bad news for the Pelicans either, as Trey Murph III is also sidelined with an injury. Though less severe, he’ll likely miss a few weeks of basketball. Zion Williams was also absent for this game, but he’s expected to play against Portland today. This still makes the Pelicans a dangerous squad against an inexperience Portland roster. They still managed to handle the Bulls, missing Zion and Murphy for the entire game. The combo of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williams will be a formidable pairing that Portland might not have an answer to. However, there is one weakness the Pelicans have that might fall right into Portland's strength: size. New Orleans could be an issue if Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan come to play without any sort of true center. This will be a game to watch, if not only for the return of CJ McCollum, who always brings out the fan fair in Portland.
There are some great lines to bet on in this early season! We’ll walk you through some of the best bets and our thoughts on the game!
Deni has been one of the most active defenders on the Portland roster. After being traded to Portland over the off-season, he has already carved out his starting role at the SF position. With the amount of time one the court and his hardnosed attitude on defense, the odds of him grabbing a steal at some point in this game are great!
This is a very doable number for these guys to hit together. CJ will be right at home in Portland, and with poor defense at the guard position, CJ could have a night. Grant, on the other hand, has been the only positive perimeter scorer for Portland. Unless this game is a blowout and Grant is pulled early, he could easily hit the 20-point mark in this game!
Even though Portland could barely get the ball through the rim on Wednesday, it doesn’t mean there weren’t a ton of points scored. The Portland defense is spirited but lacks actual stops, especially in transition. We could see them run over by a scoring barrage from Zion, CJ, and Ingram.