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There’s a “2-for-1” deal inside Intuit Dome when the Los Angeles Clippers host the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. These Western Conference rivals are Nos. 8 and 9, respectively, in the Western Conference standings, which means a victory is twice as nice.
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Los Angeles is on a five-game run, but kicking the tires on that tear sees L.A. taking advantage of some NBA bottom-feeders.
My Trail Blazers vs. Clippers predictions and NBA picks believe L.A. reserve Bennedict Mathurin has gotten fat off that cupcake competition, and aren’t convinced he’ll keep the points coming.
Trail Blazers vs Clippers prediction
Trail Blazers vs Clippers best bet: Bennedict Mathurin Under 17.5 points (-125)
Bennedict Mathurin has been massive for the Los Angeles Clippers’ turnaround the past two months.
The 6-foot-5 guard gives L.A. a shot of energy off the bench, upping his scoring to 20+ points per game since the beginning of February. Mathurin has been especially hot in his last nine outings, averaging almost 23 points since March 7.
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Helping heap on the points has been a schedule littered with lousy defenses. Four of those last nine games came against teams ranked Bottom 4 in defensive rating since the All-Star break (Indiana, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Memphis), along with a 26-point showing versus Chicago (21st).
Tuesday’s tilt brings a sneaky-good Portland Trail Blazers team to Los Angeles. Portland has also roughed up some weaker foes in recent games but sits No. 4 in defensive rating since the break and will approach this vital matchup with a playoff-like intensity.
The Blazers blitz opposing ball-handlers with smothering pressure and force them to get rid of the rock. That tactic has Portland giving up the third-fewest points to guards across the Association (47.2 per game).
Mathurin relies on getting to the foul line to pick up points, going to the stripe at least nine times in seven of his last nine outings. He won’t be able to get into attack mode versus that Portland press.
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Projections all sit…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/trail-blazers-vs-clippers-prediction-190800378.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-31 19:08:00
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