Portland Blazers vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction, 12/30/2020 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Portland Blazers vs Los Angeles Clippers

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Location: STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA

TV: NBATV

Odds/Point Spread: Portland (+2.5)

The Portland Blazers (2-1) are headed to STAPLES Center on Wednesday where they'll take on the Los Angeles Clippers (2-1). Los Angeles opens this contest as 2.5-point favorites. The total opens at 226.

The Portland Blazers took the court against the Los Angeles Lakers and earned the victory with a final of 115-107 in their last game. Portland finished the game having earned a 46.7% field goal percentage (43 of 92) and converted 16 out of their 46 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Blazers buried 13 of 15 shots for a percentage of 86.7%. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they earned 45 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 27 assists in this matchup in addition to having 9 steals and 6 blocked shots. In relation to defense, Portland let their opponent shoot 47.1% from the floor on 41 of 87 shooting. Los Angeles distributed 20 dimes and had 6 steals for the contest. Moreover, the Lakers pulled down 41 boards (6 offensive, 35 defensive) and earned 5 blocked shots. Los Angeles finished shooting 83.3% at the free throw line by making 15 of 18 attempts. They made 10 of their 27 shots from 3-point range.

Damian Lillard is a guy who played a role for this game. He notched 31 points on 10 of 16 shooting. He played 36:23 mins and also grabbed 4 boards. Lillard ended up shooting 62.5% from the field and totaled 5 dimes. One more player that had an impact in this game for the Blazers was Gary Trent. He had 3 rebounds and also accounted for 2 dimes. He finished the game shooting 71.4% from the floor in this matchup via 10-of-14 (28 points). At the conclusion of this game, Trent was on the court for 23:43 minutes.

Portland will enter this contest with a win-loss mark of 2-1 so far this year. The Blazers are connecting on 37.9% on shots from 3-point land (47 of 124) and 76.4% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 114.3 points per game (12th in basketball) while going 44.4% from the field. They are turning it over 10.0 times per contest and as a squad they commit 18.0 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Portland is grabbing 43.3 rebounds per contest and has 77 dimes this year, which has them ranked 11th in basketball in terms of passing the rock. On the defensive end of the court, the Blazers are able to force 14.0 turnovers every game and they draw 17.3 personal fouls. The Blazers defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 48.1% (42 of 52) and they relinquish 47.3 boards per game as a basketball team. They are ranked 13th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 71 relinquished on the season. They surrender 35.7% on shots from distance and they are ranked 23rd in the league in points per game allowed (117.7).

When they last stepped on the court, the Los Angeles Clippers took a loss by a score of 124-73 against the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers collected 31 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 36 for the game. They also blocked 2 shots while getting 2 steals for the game. The Mavericks had 14 personal fouls in this contest which got the Clippers to the free throw line for a total of 20 attempts. They were able to convert 17 of them for a percentage of 85.0%. Regarding 3-point shots, Los Angeles made 4 of their 33 attempts (12.1%). Overall, the Clippers walked away from this one shooting 26 out of 76 from the field which had them sitting at 34.2%. The Clippers permitted the Mavericks to bury 43 of 87 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.4% in the game. They went 34.1% from distance by connecting on 14 of 41 and ended up shooting 24 out of 27 from the free throw line (88.9%). In regard to how they cleaned up the glass, Los Angeles permitted Dallas to get 54 in total (11 on the offensive glass).

Paul George ended up being a major contributor for the Clippers in the game. He made 4 of 13 in this game for a rate of 30.8%, which earned him 15 points. George snagged 2 boards in his 24:09 mins of time on the hardwood and added 4 dimes in the matchup. One more player that played a role for Los Angeles was Serge Ibaka. He walked away with 13 points in 19:32 mins played via 6 of 11 shooting in the game. Ibaka wrapped this one up going 54.5% from the floor while earning 2 assists and 9 boards.

Los Angeles has a record of 2-1 on the season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Clippers are shooting 45.7% from the field, which ranks them 16th in the league. Los Angeles has accounted for 310 points this season (103.3 per game) and they collect 38.0 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 22.3 times per game (25th in basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 17.0 times per game. The Clippers commit 26.7 fouls every game and they connect on 81.0% from the free throw line. The Clippers on defense are ranked 18th in the NBA in PPG given up with 113.7. The Los Angeles defense gives up 32.1% on three-point shots (34 of 106) and their opponents are making 79.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 24.0 dimes and 43.7 boards per contest, which has them ranked 13th and 12th in basketball. They are forcing 13.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.4% from the field (22nd in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles (-2.5)

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