NBA Matchup Mismatch, $5 – Thursday!

Do you like dominance on the scoreboard and at the window? Thursday’s NBA card finds a terrific advantage in the paint where one team is completely lined up to BLAST an unsuspecting opponent! Go inside the numbers with Jim’s NBA Matchup Mismatch and pound the books into submission!

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NBA (703) PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS VS (704) GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS.

Take: (703) PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

Reason: Portland is motivated for the stretch run, Golden State is ready for the draft lottery. The Blazers, eighth in the Western Conference standings, are four games ahead of ninth-place Memphis. If Portland is going to make a move upward in the Western Conference standings in their final 16 games of the regular season, they need to improve their defense, coach Nate McMIllan said before the Blazers defeated Sacramento 88-81 Tuesday night. Despite blowing a big lead late and narrowly missing a cover, Portland is still 5-3 ATS the last eight games, with Brandon Roy healthy and newcomer Marcus Camby a big defensive force up front. In the win over Sacramento, the Blazers’ streak of scoring 100 or more points ended at seven, so the offense has been clicking. They also moved to within a half-game of seventh-place San Antonio. All that offense hasn’t helped Golden State win, on a 4-14 run. The reason is they are the worst defensive team in the NBA. Sacramento is home from a 5-game road trip and teams aren’t always in gear that first game back after a long trip. After similar road trips, the Warriors came home to face the Spurs and Thunder, and lost both by 11 and 12 points (0-2 ATS). Portland is 24-15 against the Western Conference, the fourth best mark. Play the Blazers.

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