Posted on
12/19/2007 5:11:24 PM
NBA Basketball Betting Trends – Toronto at Portland
By Charles Jay
The Portland Trail Blazers (13-12 SU, 15-10 ATS) would be the hottest team in the NBA if not for the Boston Celtics. This group of youngsters will look to extend their winning streak to nine games on Wednesday night when the Blazers play host to the Toronto Raptors (15-11 SU, 16-9 ATS) at the Rose Garden in Portland, with tipoff scheduled for 10 PM ET.
In the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds, the Blazers are a three-point favorite, with the total posted at 184 points.
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:
* TOR has covered seven of the last eight meetings
* PORT has won 12 of the last 18 meetings SU
* TOR has covered ten of the last 11 meetings as the visiting team
* PORT has won four of the last five meetings at the Rose Garden
The Raptors play at a slower pace than many NBA teams, scoring 97.3 ppg and giving up 93.9 points per contest. They turn the ball over just 11.9 times a game, but also allow 7.7 three-pointers a game, which is the second-highest total in the NBA. Also:
* TOR has won five of its last six games SU
* TOR has covered four of its last five games
* TOR has played four of its last five games UNDER the total
Portland has won eight straight games, five of those at home. The Blazers are last in the NBA in rebounds with 38.8 per game, but have yielded just 93.5 ppg at home, which is the NBA's sixth best figure. Also:
* PORT has won and covered its last eight games
* PORT has played four UNDERS in its last five games
* PORT has covered its last five home games
* PORT has played six UNDERS in its last eight home games
Portland has an eight-game winning streak going, and who would have thought that when Greg Oden was declared out for the year before the season even started? Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that five of the wins during this streak have been accomplished without second-year budding star LeMarcus Aldridge in the lineup. Thankfully, people like Brandon Roy and Travis Outlaw have stepped up big for the Blazers. Portland has not gotten over the .500 mark against the dregs of the NBA, either; during the current string they have turned back the likes of Utah (twice), Golden State and Denver.
Without Aldridge, though, there will be a challenge dealing with Chris Bosh, the Raptors' versatile big man. Remember that Toronto has won five out of its last six games, even though last night's game in the Staples Center against the Clippers was not a covering effort. Portland allows less than 94 ppg at home, but Toronto sports a 6-2 ATS mark as a road dog.
This is a tough one, but we'll go ahead and grab the points with Toronto, the three-point underdog in the BetUS NBA betting odds.
BetUS NBA betting odds: PORTLAND -3, Total: 184
JAY'S PLAY: TORONTO
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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)