While the World Cup is being played in Qatar, basketball fans in the NBA can look forward to the Cleveland Cavaliers versus Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night!
In my Cavaliers Trail Blazers tip, I will explain to the reader why even good betting providers like Neobet are on the wrong track and why a HC bet on the visitors could make sense.
The Cavaliers Trail Blazers betting odds have skyrocketed in the last few hours because it is now clear that Portland’s best man will not be able to play this game! Damien Lillard will have to sit out his second game in a row.
Nevertheless, Rip City is anything but without a chance. In fact, the bookies underestimate a little bit the playing possibilities of the guests, who could cause problems for the Cavs even without their pivot.
Jusuf Nurkic, Drew Eubanks and Anfernee Simons are three players I particularly like in Portland. Eubanks is so good, in fact, that he currently has personal bests in Effective Field Goal Percentage and True Shooting Percentage.
Now Portland may have lost four of its last five NBA games, but again I urge readers to be cautious. Because even against absolute top teams, the Trail Blazers have sold themselves dearly until the very end.
Both against the Mavericks (112:117), the Nets (107:109), the Jazz (113:118) and most recently the Bucks (111:119), the gap to the respective winning team was a maximum of eight points – on average it was even only 5 points.
Sure, the Trail Blazers lack a leading wolf to hold them together in the decisive moments, but this is irrelevant for my Cavaliers Trail Blazers tip, as I will give the guests a comfortable 10.5 point lead.
With that lead strapped around, I’m very confident that the Trail Blazers – at least on my tip sheet – will end up ahead.
While the Cavs have won three of the last eight NBA duels against their upcoming opponents, the margin of victory has never been high enough to cancel out my intended HC bet.
Cleveland is also dealing with injury woes! Wade and Winder are also out, but it’s the injuries to LeVert and Rubio in particular that are hitting the home side’s playmaking hard.
Furthermore, the Cavs have been good but not convincing enough against teams that have also had a strong start to the season.
While they have won their last three games, with the recent loss to the Bucks, they have now lost three of seven games against NBA franchises with a positive record.
And it just so happens that their upcoming opponent is one of those teams (10-7).
The Cavs are on the rise in my eyes, but a few good performances don’t automatically translate into a trend that would make me change my prediction.
Still, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell played their best game for Cleveland in their last outing against the Hornets last Friday.
That’s because, with a combined 75 points, they outscored their opponents by 23 points in their 34 minutes on the floor together against Charlotte!
Conclusion: Of course the loss of Damian Lillard will hurt Rip City, but German bettors overestimate his impact on the team.
That’s because Portland is a tough squad – one that loses narrowly, if at all – and knows how to sell itself dearly against any kind of opponent.
The Cavs, meanwhile, have also suffered the odd loss and are much more convincing in their performances against weaker teams.
Since my Cavaliers Trail Blazers tip would have already been crowned with success in the last eight direct duels, my betting decision is definitely fixed.
This is: Portland wins with HC +10.5.
