Portland Trail Blazers vs Washington Wizards Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 21/12/2023, 06:55  by Devesh Jaganath in NBA Predictions

The Portland Trail Blazers will take on the Washington Wizards in NBA action at Moda Center on Thursday. This match will see the sides that currently hold 14th place in the Eastern and Western Conference collide with the hosts, currently 7-19, while the visitors are 4-22. 

The Washington Wizards are facing a tough season, and it seems to be getting more challenging. In their last game against the Kings, they suffered a 143-131 loss, with Jordan Poole leading the team with 28 points. That defeat marked the Wizards' sixth consecutive loss on the road, and they have only managed to beat the Pacers in their last nine games, whether at home or away. Washington are currently the tenth-ranked scoring team in the NBA, averaging 117 points per game, while the Portland team ranks 17th defensively, allowing 114.2 points per game. However, the Wizards are struggling on the defensive end, ranking last in the league by conceding an average of 126.8 points per match. Notably, the Wizards score more points at home (117.5 per game) than on the road (116.6). Delon Wright, Landry Shamet, Ryan Rollins, Johnny Davis, and Danilo Gallinari are injured and likely to miss the upcoming game.

Meanwhile, against the Suns, the Trail Blazers secured a 109-104 victory, ending their seven-game losing streak. Anfernee Simons played a crucial role, scoring a team-high 23 points. While that win would have been a significant boost for them, the Trail Blazers still face difficulties, averaging 107.7 points per game (29th in the NBA) and being outscored by 6.5 points on average. Defensively, they are allowing 114.2 points per outing, ranking 18th in the league. In terms of efficiency, the Trail Blazers are putting up 109.4 points per 100 possessions (27th in the league) and allowing 116.0 points per 100 possessions (15th in the NBA). Unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, they will be without Robert Williams and Shaedon Sharpe for this match due to injuries.