Posted on 3/18/2008 6:00:18 PM

NBA Betting Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trailblazers

By D.S. Williamson

Phoenix Suns (- 4) vs. Portland Trailblazers (+ 4)

Tip-off: 10:35 pm est.

It sounds strange but the once cold Phoenix Suns have suddenly gotten hot. Yes, the Suns are hot. Sounds weird, right? Anyhow, they’ve gone 4 and 0 against the BetUS spread in their last 4 games as well as 6 and 4 in their last 10 games. They’ve done it by playing excellent defense in low-scoring affairs as well as playing up and down basketball in high-scoring affairs. They’ve done it by playing the pick-roll with Shaq and Amare or letting Raja Bell and Leandro Barbosa toss up three-pointers. Perhaps, that makes the Suns the most dangerous team in the NBA right now.

Portland isn’t out of the playoffs just yet. They do have a winning straight-up record of 35 and 32. They also have done some nice things against the BetUS spread lately going 7 and 3 in their last 10 games. The Blazers are 17 and 15 against the BetUS spread at home. Here are some other trends.

The Phoenix Suns are 5 and 0 against the spread in their last 5 games on a Tuesday night.

The Phoenix Suns are 30 and 12 in their last 42 games as a road favorite of between .5 and 4.5 points.

The Portland Trailblazers are 6 and 2 against the spread in their last 8 games versus a team from the Western Conference.

The Over is 9 and 1 in the Phoenix Suns last 10 games following a straight-up win.

The BetUS over/under is 208.5. That’s neither too high nor too low. It’s exactly where it should be. The truth about this game is that the Portland Trailblazers will want to run in order to keep their big-man, LeMarcus Aldridge out of foul trouble. He can’t guard Shaq on the blocks, but he sure can beat Shaq down the court.

But Phoenix coach Mik D’Antoni has sort of figured out when to take Shaq out of the game and let his small men run wild. That should happen a few times during this game which means the likelihood of this thing going over is very, very good. Even though the Suns are good at playing a slow-down, pick and roll type game, both Amare and Shaq are excellent at passing the ball out of double-teams and to the Suns’ three-point shooters. That means over.

As far as who will win this game against the spread, I have to side with the Suns. They’re hot right now. They have figured out how to play with Shaq in the line-up and the big fella doesn’t appear overly concerned with having to sit on the bench during long stretches in games. That’s a good sign. The chemistry seems to be working.

The BetUS NBA Betting line is Phoenix Suns – 4 against the spread on the road versus the Portland Trailblazers.

I like the Suns to cover the spread. I also like this game to go over.

You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!